QUANTUM COMPUTING GETS A BOOST

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Tuesday the establishment of three quantum computing centers across the nation, involving an investment of $75 million.

The new Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes will each receive $25 million to address research and development in the quantum computing space, along with helping to develop curriculum for students in the quantum computing field to help expand the workforce in this area.

The center set to be established at the University of California Berkeley will address present and future quantum computing, while the center at the University of Illinois will focus on hybrid quantum architecture and networks. The third institute, at the University of Colorado, will look into the development of quantum sensors to help with more precise measurements across a variety of fields.

U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios said in a statement that the new centers would boost “cutting-edge industries of tomorrow.”

“With the announcement of three new quantum institutes, the Trump Administration is making a bold statement that the United States will remain the global home for QIS research,” Kratsios said. “Our new Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes will advance America’s long history of breakthrough discoveries and generate critical advancements for years to come.”

The establishment of the centers stems from a provision in the National Quantum Initiative Act, which President Trump signed into law in 2018. The law requires the director of the NSF to award funding to universities to help establish between two to five “multidisciplinary centers for quantum research and education.”

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a statement Tuesday that “within five years, we are confident these institutes can make tangible advances to help carry us into a true quantum revolution.”