US quantum consortium to encourage international membership
Key points…
+ International partners will be able to join the US-based Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) in the near future. + Thus far the group, which includes more than 180 members aiming to establish a robust quantum industry and supply chain, has been limited to US-based institutions and companies.
+ However, in a virtual plenary talk for SPIE’s Remote Sensing/Security and Defence (ERS/ESD) Digital Forum this week, QED-C deputy director Celia Merzbacher indicated that international partners should be able to join as members within weeks.
“The QED-C is being designed to be inclusive, to engage [with] like-minded organizations around the world, and is focused on building the quantum supply chain that will allow quantum science to become quantum applications.”
+ “The membership to date has been US-based, but we expect within the next 1-2 months to make available membership categories for non-US-based members,” Merzbacher told delegates.
+ QED-C was set up as part of the wider $1.3 billion quantum development effort in the US. Merzbacher estimates that global investment in quantum technologies to date stands at $22 billion, with China, Germany, and the UK among several countries to have prioritized the area.
+ Merzbacher is a member of the QED-C steering committee, whose make-up was confirmed last week. It features representatives from US government and industry, including the likes of defense and technology giants Boeing, Google, and IBM – who have made some major investments in quantum technology development – alongside smaller ventures such as ColdQuanta, QCWare, and Zapata Computing.
Source: optics.org. optics.org, US quantum consortium to encourage international membership…
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