(NextGov) Legislation recently put forth in the House of Representatives aims to advance the Energy Department’s development of a robust infrastructure for what could eventually be a vast network of connected quantum-based computers and technologies.
The Quantum Network Infrastructure Act introduced by co-chairs of the National Labs Caucus Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and Bill Foster, D-Ill., would authorize $100 million to Energy’s Office of Science for fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to form and maintain the effort.
If passed, the bill would amend the National Quantum Initiative Act that President Trump signed in 2018—which lays out a plan to bolster the quantum field, research and associated technology applications—to establish what it deems an Energy Department-led “research, development, and demonstration program to accelerate innovation in quantum network infrastructure.”
The innovation the act aims to push via the infrastructure is threefold: “to facilitate the advancement of distributed quantum computing systems through the internet and intranet; improve the precision of measurements of scientific phenomena and physical imaging technologies; and develop secure national quantum communications technologies and strategies.”
Proposed House Legislation Aims to Advance DOE’s Development of Infrastructure for Quantum-Based Technologies
