U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Narrows Focus to Quantum Information Science
Presidential Advisers Push for National Network to Support Quantum and AI Advancement
Excerpts and salient points ~
+ The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAST—reconstituted by executive order in October—held its first working meeting Monday [February 3, 2020], outlining its near-term focus on quantum computing and artificial intelligence as the prime industries of the future.
+ That work begins with a focus on five “industries of the future” in which American dominance will play a key role in the economic stability and national security of the country: quantum information science; artificial intelligence; wireless communications, including 5G; biotechnology; and advanced manufacturing. To achieve that end, the council established the Subcommittee on American Action Plan for Global Leadership in Industries of the Future, which presented its first report Monday.
+ The subcommittee offered a set of recommendations for the federal government to assist these efforts:
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- Creation of a network of quantum computing facilities for users to develop quantum computing algorithms and applications
- Development of a quantum internet supporting research; of the likes of ARPAnet
- Acceleration of initiatives to create a national quantum communications network (foundational to a quantum internet)
+ “What can the federal government provide to the R&D ecosystem of the United States that the other pieces of the puzzle cannot?” U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios said during the meeting. “What is the federal government’s value-add? … We can provide that initial backbone to drive all of it.”
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