As the US Congress remains in recess, the country's quantum programs are at risk of falling behind due to stagnated federal policy. The National Quantum Initiative Act, which expired over a year ago, has yet to be reauthorized by Congress, despite having large bipartisan support. This crucial policy update is necessary for the federal government to utilize quantum technologies in the near term. Allison Schwartz, Vice President of Global Government Relations and Public Affairs at D-Wave, emphasizes that Congress must rebalance and refocus quantum programs to include all modalities, such as annealing and gate-model systems, and support applications where quantum works synergistically with emerging technologies like AI and high-performance computing. The global quantum market is projected to reach $106 billion by 2040, with countries like China investing heavily in quantum technologies. If Congress fails to act, the US risks losing its technological leadership and slowing the development of near-term quantum applications across federal agencies.
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