Summer Myatt
In recent years, the U.S. has spearheaded multiple efforts to research, develop and harness quantum science, information and technology for a broad range of applications. President Biden’s most recent quantum-related policy measures — an executive order and a national security memorandum — were put in place to advance the country’s quantum leadership and mitigate risk to cryptographic systems.
But experts argue that we may not be moving fast enough to establish dominance in this increasingly critical tech area, and action is needed now.
“U.S. government is at a technological inflection point and unless we act quickly to bolster domestic micro-electronics production, invest in research and upskill our workforce, we will be left in the dust as the rest of the world advances in quantum,” wrote Chester Kennedy, president of research and security solutions at ColdQuanta, in an FCW article.
In order to “regain our foothold in quantum,” Kennedy suggested that we need to place more emphasis on public-private partnerships, education, accessibility, funding and workforce development — or risk obsolescence.
Part of the issue is that the U.S. relies on countries like Taiwan to manufacture its semiconductor chips, which are critical components of quantum computing. With domestic microelectronics and semiconductor chip production on the decline, the country is racing to address supply chain issues and boost manufacturing capabilities.
“Chips are the underlying foundation of every trillion-dollar company today; similarly, the country that leads in quantum innovation will lead the global economy of tomorrow,” Kennedy explained. “While microelectronics is a global industry, the astonishing lack of domestic capacity has been amplified during the current pandemic crisis in ways that many never realized.”
Ultimately, our window of opportunity to reestablish the U.S. as a competitor in the quantum space is small and closing quickly. But Kennedy reiterated that hope is not lost.
“Today, we face a crisis in quantum technology not unlike the critical events and factors that contributed to our declining foothold in the microelectronics industry,” he wrote. “China has made a significant investment in quantum and the U.S. is barely holding on to our advantage. Together, we have the potential to regain our leadership position by sharing our ideas and collaborating across the private and public sectors.”
ColdQuanta’s Chester Kennedy will moderate an insightful panel discussion during ExecutiveBiz Events’ Quantum Technologies Forum on July 28. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from quantum experts across the public and private sectors! Click here to register.
