The Federal Government’s Initiatives & Investments in Quantum Computing in 2019

(NextGov) Jake Taylor, the Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science Office is interviewed here and reflected on America’s investments and achievements across quantum computing over the past year, and talked about how U.S. efforts measure up on the global landscape and the supercomputing strides the government aims to accomplish in 2020.
“It’s actually a little bit funny right, because we hear a lot in the press about the ‘global race,’” Taylor said. “But it’s not a race at the present time—it’s a quest to try and be able to build these things.”
At the end of 2018, President Trump signed the National Quantum Initiative Act into law, dedicating more than $1 billion to bolster the research and development of quantum technologies in America over the next five years. In March, the OSTP officially launched the National Quantum Coordination Office, which was also called for by the law. The office oversees interagency coordination of the government’s quantum programs, connects a range of stakeholders and supports access and use of federal research and development infrastructure. More than ten agencies currently conduct research and development in quantum information science.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Energy Department and the National Science Foundation are the act’s implementing agencies and have therefore been ramping up their quantum efforts.
the administration in September also established the government’s first National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. Two co-chairs and up to 21 committee members are tasked with advising the president and Energy Secretary and provide critical insights regarding the nation’s efforts to maintain and accelerate leadership in the quantum space.
Before the year came to a close, the government also launched an international agreement with Japan to advance—and mutually benefit from—emerging breakthroughs in quantum information science and technology.