Presidential order addresses quantum computing gaps

The quantum computing industry has a supply-chain problem: The companies that could make the specialized lasers, cryogenics, and photonics it depends on don’t have enough of a market yet to invest in creating these products.

An executive order signed Monday aims to fix that, directing the government to strengthen domestic component manufacturing and partner with the private sector to fill the gaps. In addition, the order tells the Department of Energy to lead the development of a useful quantum computer, assess the performance of quantum computers, and track how close quantum computers are to being able to break encryption. The order also calls for tighter export controls of key quantum technologies and launches a hiring push for quantum talent.

Celia Merzbacher, executive director at Quantum Economic Development Consortium, says the order is “extremely encouraging.”

“It is a sign from the highest level of government that quantum is important,” she tells Network World.

On Tuesday, the Energy Department followed up with its announcement of Quantum Genesis, an initiative to create and deploy what it called the world’s first scientifically relevant, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Quantum computing is a key component of the Genesis Mission, announced at the end of 2025.

Monday’s executive order didn’t include any funding for the new quantum computing strategy but says that it is “subject to the availability of appropriations” and directs the Energy Department to “explore potential private-sector partnership models.”

The next step, according to Merzbacher, is to get the funding in place. “So there’s a role for Congress to write the checks and follow up and do the work that needs to be done,” she says.

The supply chain piece is particularly important. “Quantum is still at a fairly early stage, and the markets aren’t big,” she says. “There isn’t a market engine or flywheel yet.”

Specifically, quantum computing needs electronics, cryogenic technologies, lasers, photonics, and optics, she says. “And there are a lot of players in those areas.”

Some of them are getting into the quantum sector as a business — but some are not, because they see the market as too small, she says. “So, how do you get that flywheel going? One of the things the government can do is send some signals that as the technology comes along, there will be a market, whether that’s the government paying for acquiring some systems and putting them out there for researchers to use, or some other way of sending a demand signal to get the business case to the companies that can actually develop and make the technology.”

The executive order also addresses the issue of assessing the performance of quantum computers. Benchmarks have been lacking in the quantum space.

“It’s not easy to compare quantum computers in an apples-to-apples way because the quantum computer systems aren’t that stable yet,” Merzbacher says. “If you run it in the morning and in the afternoon, you get a different performance.”

By comparison, in AI, there are a number of benchmarks comparing AI models on everything from how well they do at math, to their ability to generate images, to whether they can find bugs in computer code.

Benchmarks are important so that people can do fair comparisons of quantum systems, says Juliette Peyronnet, US general manager at Alice & Bob, a quantum computing company.

“We know Sandia, the national lab, is working on one, and we hope it will be out soon, but it’s not there yet,” she tells Network World. “We want an organization like Sandia to come out with a benchmark that’s not from a vendor.”

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