Quantum Economic Development Consortium Created to Move U.S. Research Forward

(FCW) Carl Williams, the deputy director of NIST’s Physical Measurement Laboratory, recently outlined the goals of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QEDC) consortium that is tasked with supporting the development of a quantum computing industry. The consortium is a partnership between NIST and SRI International. Thirty-four companies have signed letters of intent to join, Williams said. Roughly one-third of those firms are smaller companies, while two-thirds are large-scale corporations.
QECD will allow these companies to let NIST know what they need to move their research forward without revealing all their proprietary secrets. Private industry is already investing large amounts of money into the technology, despite the likelihood that a fully viable quantum computer is still two to three decades away. That reflects a consensus that quantum truly is a revolutionary technology that will “change how we do things,” Williams said.