“Much Needs to Be Done” for Quantum 2021: Three Suggestions from Arthur Herman
(Forbes) Arthur Herman, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and Director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative, writes his suggestions for “what’s next” in quantum computing and also provides his advice on specifics for his recommendation that “Much needs to be done.”
Suggestions include:
First, there has to be a considerable increase in the amount of funding for quantum technology, especially on the security side. It’s always easy to say, “Spend more,” but given that the Chinese government is still outspending ours roughly 10 to 1 on the technology that will change the 21st century; it’s urgent we at least catch up.
Second, we need to invest in multiple paths for increasing our leadership in quantum computing. Superconductivity has been the most fruitful approach so far; it’s the path being pursued by the big companies like IBM IBM -0.6%, Google GOOG -3%, and Microsoft MSFT -2.4%. But ion trap and photonic quantum computers, also offer powerful possibilities for the future—not just for the weaponized code-breaking dimension of quantum, but also for breakthroughs in medicine, chemistry, and understanding the universe.
Third, we can work harder on recruiting our allies for quantum partners. Britain, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Israel: all have pieces to offer to make sense of the total quantum puzzle. Let’s see a coordinated quantum cross-alliance summit that breathes new life into our existing strategic partners via quantum, but also offers opportunities for newer allies to make a difference (I’m thinking particularly of India).
