The Commerce Department is pursuing increased financial resources and policy actions to strengthen the U.S. quantum information science sector and the broader technology supply chain, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said Monday.
Speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event on Sept. 23, Graves emphasized that strategic technology investments that take into account supply chain constraints are necessary to increase the nation’s competitiveness and ensure strong support for emerging technologies that are essential for future progress.
“We are a world leader in quantum, but we can only maintain that leadership if we continue to invest in and develop cutting-edge quantum technologies,” Graves said. “We will have to rely on the private sector to drive development, but we can invest where there are market inefficiencies and the private sector needs additional support.”
Graves explained that the Commerce Department is focused on strengthening U.S. leadership in quantum research through strategic federal investment and private sector participation. As part of this strategy, the department is leveraging a new supply chain risk assessment tool called SCALE to guide investments in critical technologies like quantum computing.
SCALE, which the ministry unveiled earlier this month, is a supply chain risk assessment tool that the ministry said will enhance the government’s ability to be “more proactive and strategic” in assessing structural supply chain risks across the country.
“What we’re trying to do now is make those investments, but do so with an understanding of the constraints of our supply chain,” Graves said. “Our SCALE tool is the first of its kind, and it allows us to look at vulnerabilities, bottlenecks, and the full scope of our supply chain to better understand[our]challenges.”
For example, the quantum technology supply chain is global and highly specialized due to the complex nature of the technologies involved and the fact that a disruption in one link could lead to significant delays in the development and deployment of the technology.
For example, quantum computers rely on super-cooling machines called dilution refrigerators, which are primarily produced in Finland, but essential rare-earth materials are often sourced from China, according to a 2021 report from the Government Audit Office.
“Without a resilient supply chain, we won’t have the technology we need. We can’t be in a situation where we’re held hostage by a country because we don’t have access to inputs and components that are critical to our supply chain,” Graves said.
He added that the Commerce Department plans to invest in technologies, including quantum, “as well as invest in more resilient supplies and ecosystems with partners across the country.”
