US invests $249m in quantum tech

A “national strategic overview” for quantum information science has been released by the US National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), which co-ordinates the science and technology policy of the president of the US. The overview identifies several key policy actions designed to keep the US at the forefront of quantum-technology development.

In related announcements, two science funding agencies in the US – the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation – have committed a total of $249m to 118 research projects related to quantum information science (QIS). QIS is currently making the transition from the lab to industry and includes a range of technologies including quantum computing, cryptography and sensing that take advantage of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics.

The strategic overview was produced by the NSTC’s Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science (SCQIS). One of its co-chairs is Carl Williams, who is acting director of the Physical Measurement Laboratory of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He believes that it is likely that QIS will “be the foundation of a lot of future technologies, and therefore, extraordinarily important for our economic and national security”.

Recommended policy actions include developing a “science-first” approach to quantum information science, which includes strengthening government-funded core research programmes. The SCQIS is calling for a “grand challenges” approach to setting research priorities by identifying difficult problems in QIS with potential solutions that could lead to important new technologies.

On a practical level, the provision of critical scientific and engineering infrastructure is identified as a priority. This includes the creation of end-user testbed facilities and manufacturing facilities. Paying small grants to research centres and consortia is identified as a way of sustaining QIS research in the long term.

The overview calls for the creation of a “quantum-smart and diverse workforce to meet the needs of a growing field”. Williams says, “Until the past few years, the US did reasonably well in producing a quantum workforce.” He says that the country has been good at producing “quantum physicists who did quantum information science”, as well as quantum computer scientists. However, he points out that there is a need for quantum engineers.

The SCQIS stresses the importance of international collaboration and cooperation, which it says will ensure that the US has access to the best talent worldwide as well as international technologies and research facilities. The overview encourages industry to develop quantum technologies, in part through public–private partnership. Planned industry initiatives include a US Quantum Consortium, which would bring together industry, government and academia to co-ordinate “pre-competitive” research, address intellectual-property concerns and streamline technology transfer.

Understanding the national-security implications of quantum technologies is also stressed in the overview. The SCQIS says that information and technologies must be given the appropriate security classification and export controls. At the same time, however, researchers at American universities and industry must have access to the largest-possible amount of information.

The SCQIS has asked US government agencies to come up with plans to execute its policy goals. The DOE has responded by committing $218m of funding to quantum information science, of which $73m will be spent in the 2018 fiscal year with future spending contingent on approval by the US Congress. The 85 research projects receiving funds will last from two to five years. “QIS represents the next frontier in the Information Age,” says DOE boss Rick Perry. “These investments will ensure sustained American leadership in a field likely to shape the long-term future of information processing.”