In September, leading global quantum experts are convening in northern Virginia, the backyard of the nation’s capital, at the third annual Quantum World Congress. Delegations from at least 20 countries, along with leaders in academia and industry, are expected to discuss the latest advancements in quantum technology, scientific breakthroughs, application developments and the skills training needed to build a quantum-ready workforce. While advancements in quantum technologies move forward, a stagnated U.S. policy process threatens to make U.S. quantum programs outdated.
The National Quantum Initiative Act (NQI) is a crucial vehicle for updating quantum programs. Yet, legislation to reauthorize the NQI has been limping through Congress even though it has strong bipartisan support. The NQI expired on September 30, 2023, but to date, only the House Science, Space and Technology Committee has acted. The committee bill supports needed modifications to properly focus quantum programs, including balancing longer-term hardware advancements with development and deployment of near-term quantum applications that can address pressing public-sector challenges, such as emergency response, supply-chain management, critical employee scheduling and national security.
To fully realize the benefits of quantum technology, quantum programs must also include all quantum computing modalities (annealing and gate-model systems) and support applications where quantum works synergistically with other emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing — commonly referred to as quantum-classical hybrid technologies.
Although U.S. quantum programs are still being funded, the gap between program needs versus program implementation will continue to grow unless Congress enacts reauthorized NQI language that will rebalance and refocus quantum programs by the end of the year.
While the NQI remains stuck, the 118th Congress has introduced nearly a dozen bi-partisan and bi-cameral policy initiatives focused on near-term application development and engagement with quantum technologies. Because several of these bills are being considered for inclusion in the NQI, a stalled NQI also blocks these important initiatives. Even efforts by policymakers encouraging government agencies to identify the best public sector problems that could benefit from today’s emerging technologies are in limbo.
Meanwhile, the world of quantum — industry, enterprise and governments — is racing ahead. Current worldwide investments in quantum science and technology exceed $40 billion, and the global quantum technology market is projected to reach $106 billion by 2040. China has reportedly committed to provide $15 billion in public funds toward quantum technology, and allied countries such as the U.K., Australia, Japan and Canada are heavily investing in quantum and have implemented robust government quantum strategies and programs that are building and funding applications to solve real-world problems.
Other countries are working much faster than we are: The U.K. program calls for examining the feasibility of developing quantum applications within 18 months or less. The Japanese government has supported building quantum applications to reduce CO2 emissions during waste collection, and the Australian army has built applications enabling autonomous vehicles to optimize last-mile resupply operations for defense and emergency response.
To anticipate and meet the demand for optimized problem solving, the quantum industry is making quantum computing available through the cloud, allowing researchers, academics, governments and businesses to engage with powerful computational systems. Today, the private and public sector is using cloud access to develop quantum applications for a variety of problems. A report by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center identifies which public sector use cases could benefit from today’s quantum computing technology.
Hardware capabilities are also improving. Davidson, a Huntsville, Alabama company, plans to place a U.S.-based annealing quantum computer at their global headquarters. The system, which is expected to be installed in 2025, could play an essential role in advancing the use of quantum technology for national security, identifying use cases for government agencies, developing applications, and training our workforce.
Installing a quantum computer focused on national security is crucial. In fact, the Defense Department (DoD) recently issued a request for information (RFI) to identify near-term U.S. industry quantum applications geared toward defense. The RFI is the result of language included in the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act directing DoD to identify problems that could be solved by quantum computing while being inclusive of the range of quantum technologies. The RFI illustrates how congressional action can directly impact changes in government programs.
The number of global delegations at the Quantum World Congress demonstrates growing recognition of quantum computing’s potential to help the public sector address large problems in ways that were not possible just a few years ago. Properly focused quantum programs are critical to positioning the U.S. globally on quantum research, application development and adoption.
It’s been almost a year since the NQI reauthorization expired. With less than 40 days left to legislate in this congressional session, Congress must fully reauthorize the NQI. Failure to do so puts U.S. technological leadership at risk and slows the development and adoption of near-term quantum applications across the federal government.
Allison Schwartz is vice president of global government relations and public affairs at D-Wave.
Copyright
© 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
