Congress must seize the opportunity to double down on quantum technology

Five years ago, Congress passed the National Quantum Initiative Act (NQIA). In the years since, research on quantum entanglement won the Nobel Prize in Physics and applications that once seemed impossible now appear to be within reach.  

For those applications, global private investment in quantum startups has surged, reaching $2.35 billion in 2022. However, the U.S. government must strengthen its commitment to this crucial technology, broadening the investments from basic science to supporting technology and engineering. 

With the NQIA due for reauthorization on Sept. 30, we urge Congress to prioritize this legislation.  

While AI continues to capture headlines and national attention, the global race towards quantum technology continues apace, with applications in communication, computation and sensing that promise to revolutionize our world.  

Quantum computation will allow us to solve problems that cannot be solved on classical computers — enabling such real-world gains as greater agriculture yields and the development of new vaccines, drugs and medical treatments.  Quantum sensing will allow greater precision timing than GPS systems with implications for navigation, defense applications and financial networks.  And while widely used encryption will be rendered vulnerable by quantum computing, quantum communication promises physically secure communication.  

Our success in delivering on quantum’s potential depends on two primary inputs: investment and talent.   

Investment, of course, is more than dollars. The NQIA has done a commendable job of setting clear U.S. priorities and facilitating cross-sector and multidisciplinary coordination. The proposal to invest in new quantum accelerators and testbeds is welcome, as is the mandate to strengthen NIST’s role in science and standard setting. Doing so will incubate promising quantum research and development activities and position the U.S. to steer the course of quantum innovation. 

The recent National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC) report called for, and we agree, greater flexibility in the use of funding, allowing researchers to remain agile in pursuing new, emerging avenues of research. Signaling long-term commitment (the current legislation ends in 2028) and fully funding NQI activities and quantum portions of the CHIPS and Science Act are essential.  

Robust bipartisan support for quantum research and development will continue to catalyze private and university investment and spur start-up activity. The University of Pittsburgh — where one of us is the founding director of the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security and the other is vice chancellor for research infrastructure — recently announced a $11.6 million investment to establish the Western Pennsylvania Quantum Information Core, providing researchers with state-of-the-art instrumentation. We are proud to play our part in the “whole-of-nation,” all-hands-on-deck push to deliver quantum technologies for the American people – and to ensure that the gains aren’t restricted to corporate interests.   

The talent piece is more complicated. Funding alone, no matter how substantial, cannot generate the quantum workforce the country needs. We are in the process of training a quantum workforce; the University of Pittsburgh was one of the first in the country to offer quantum computing as an undergraduate major. Since that time, Harvard, the University of Maryland and other institutions have offered various programs on the subject. 

We are excited by the newly proposed student traineeships, fellowships and other training models. Such opportunities will position students for rewarding and groundbreaking careers. But those programs will take time — years — to yield the highly skilled workers that the field needs. In the meantime, and to ensure enduring U.S. primacy in the field, there exists an inexorable need to open the door to foreign talent wider.  

In this regard, robust cross-border collaboration can augment U.S.-based talent, so we welcome the proposed International Quantum Cooperation Strategy. Continuing and expanding international partnerships that capitalize upon the unique capabilities of U.S. strategic partners and allies is a key element to ensuring global technological leadership.   

As we look towards quantum, the next technological game changer on the horizon, now is the time to double down. Congress can help deliver on that promise through decisive bipartisan reauthorization of the NQIA.  

David Hickton is the founding director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security. He was the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 2010-2016.  

Robert K. Cunningham is the vice chancellor for research infrastructure at the University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as the executive director of Pittsburgh Quantum Institute.