A year ago many of us were calling on the U.S. to step up and deal with the growing quantum computing challenge and to commit serious resources to winning the quantum computing race, on which the fate of information technology in the 21st century will depend.
Finally, things are finally starting to move on Capitol Hill and at the Trump White House.
We still have a long way to go, and China is still outspending us in the quantum sector by nearly 30 to 1. But a House bill and a White House proposal are signs that America’s political establishment is starting to get it: This is one high-tech race America can’t afford to lose.
Quantum processors work with quantum bits, or qubits, that exist as both a one and a zero at the same time, potentially providing significantly more computing power than current digital technology. That dramatically increased computing power also poses a threat to the modern cryptography system—which is a major reason why we want the first large-scale quantum computer to be in friendly hands, rather than unfriendly ones.
America IT giants like Intel, Microsoft, IBM, and Google have been working on this technology for a number of years now. But until now the United States has been the only major country that hasn’t developed a comprehensive strategy for winning the quantum computing race.
The National Quantum Initiative Act (H.R. 6227) finally addresses that issue. It proposes devoting $1.275 billion over five years to support research and development efforts in quantum technology, in a coordinated effort led by the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (which is working on algorithms that can help to protect against future quantum intrusion). That’s a substantial increase over the $200 million Washington has been spending annually, spread over several government agencies including the NSA and armed services.
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