Stakeholders Outline Next Steps in National Quantum Initiative

(AIP.org) Six months after the National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Act was signed into law, efforts to implement it are now well under way. The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation are gearing up to create new research centers dedicated to quantum information science (QIS), while the National Institute of Standards and Technology is forming a quantum economic development consortium to assess R&D needs across industry. And in March, the OSTP established the National Quantum Coordination Office to oversee interagency efforts.
DOE and NSF are each required to establish between two and five research centers. On May 20, DOE issued a request for input in advance of its planned solicitation for center proposals. The document indicates the department plans to fund “two or more” centers from among the proposals it receives. DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar says it delineates the five types of centers the department anticipates creating. They span quantum communication, quantum chemistry and materials, qubit devices and sensors, quantum emulation and computing, and quantum foundries.
Dabbar also highlighted efforts underway in Chicago to position the city as a premier quantum research hub, and he briefly mentioned plans for establishing other regional hubs in New York and Los Angeles.