Boeing, Google, IBM among companies to lead federal quantum development initiative

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that Boeing, Google and IBM will be among the organizations to lead efforts to research and push forward quantum computing development. 

The companies will be part of the steering committee for the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), a group that aims to identify standards, cybersecurity protocols and other needs to assist in pushing forward the quantum information science and technology industry. 

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) announced the members of the steering committee on Wednesday, with NIST, ColdQuanta, QC Ware, and Zapata Computing also selected to sit on the committee. 

The QED-C was established by the National Quantum Initiative Act, signed into law by President Trump in 2018, with the full consortium made up of over 180 industry, academic and federal organizations. 

According to OSTP, the steering committee will take the lead on helping to develop the supply chain to support quantum’s growth in industry, and is part of the Trump administration’s recent efforts to promote quantum computing. 

“Through the establishment of the QED-C steering committee, the Administration has reached yet another milestone delivering on the National Quantum Initiative and strengthening American leadership in quantum information science,” U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios said in a statement. “We look forward to the continued work of the QED-C and applaud this private-public model for advancing QIS research and innovation.”

The establishment of the steering committee comes on the heels of the Trump administration announcing more than $1 billion in funding for new research institutes focused on quantum computing and artificial intelligence. 

The announcement of the funds came after OSTP and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the establishment of three quantum computing centers at three different U.S. academic institutions, which involved an investment of $75 million. The establishment of these centers was also the result of requirements of the National Quantum Initiative Act. 

While the Trump administration has been focused on supporting the development of quantum computing, Capitol Hill has also taken an interest. 

Bipartisan members of the Senate Commerce Committee introduced legislation in January aimed at increasing investment in AI and quantum computing. A separate bipartisan group of lawmakers in May introduced a bill that would create a Directorate of Technology at the NSF that would be given $100 billion over five years to invest in American research and technology issues, including quantum computing.