What the CHIPS Act means for quantum computing

Investment includes funding for quantum innovation

President Biden has signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law — and it includes a significant investment in quantum computing.

The $280 billion legislation will go towards science and technology pursuits over the next five years, driven mainly by a desire to reduce dependency on imported semiconductor chips, notably from market leader Taiwan.

“The CHIPS and Science Act supercharges our efforts to make semiconductors here in America,” said Biden. “[But] this bill is about more than chips. It’s about science as well … this increased research and development funding is going to ensure the United States leads the world and the industries of the future, from quantum computing to artificial intelligence to advanced biotechnology.”

The new act will provide funds to help expedite the lab-to-market process for projects that aid the discovery of quantum applications, grow the quantum workforce and enable cutting-edge research and development through new infrastructure.

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The legislation authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) Next Generation Quantum Leaders Pilot program, designed to support domestic quantum specialists through total funding of $32 million from 2023 to 2026.

Under the CHIPS Act, the Quantum Network Infrastructure project, a program designed to develop a supply chain for quantum networking technologies, is expected to receive $100 million every year for five years. The Quantum User Expansion for Science and Technology (QUEST) program, which is designed to connect researchers to quantum computing resources, will get $165 million between 2023 and 2027.

This article first appeared in sister publication Enter Quantum.