House lawmakers are discussing a reauthorization of the National Quantum Initiative, with lawmakers eyeing agency prize challenges, workforce issues and supply chain concerns among other key updates.

During a hearing hosted by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology on Thursday, lawmakers sought input from agencies leading quantum information science efforts. Chairman Brian Babin (R-Texas) said he is working with Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) on a reauthorization of the NQI.

“This effort seeks to reinforce U.S. leadership in quantum science, technology and engineering, address workforce challenges, and accelerate commercialization,” Babin said.

The National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018 created a national plan for quantum technologies spearheaded by agencies including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation and the Energy Department.

As the House committee works on its bill, Senate lawmakers earlier this month introduced a bipartisan National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act. The bill would extend the initiative for an additional five years through 2034 and reauthorize key agency programs.

The Senate bill would also expand the NQI to include National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) research initiatives, including quantum satellite communications and quantum sensing.

Meanwhile, in September, the White House named quantum information sciences as one of six priority areas in governmentwide research and development budget guidance. “Agencies should deepen focused efforts, such as centers and core programs, to advance basic quantum information science, while also prioritizing R&D that expands the understanding of end user applications and supports the maturation of enabling technologies,” the guidance states.

During the House hearing on Thursday, lawmakers sought feedback on several proposals to include in the reauthorization bill. Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) said the Energy Department had sent lawmakers technical assistance in December, including a proposal to provide quantum prize challenge authority to agencies that sit on the quantum information science subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council.

Tanner Crowder, quantum information science lead at Energy’s Office of Science, said the prize challenges would help the government use “programmatic mechanisms” to drive the field forward.

“We’ve talked a little bit about our notices of funding opportunities, and the prize challenge would just be another, another mechanism to drive the field forward, both in potential algorithmic designs, hardware designs, and it just gives us more flexibility to push the forefront of the field,” Crowder said.

Crowder was also asked about how the reauthorization bill should direct resources for sensor development and quantum network infrastructure.

“We want to be able to connect systems together, and we need quantum networks to do that,” Crowder responded. “It is impractical to send quantum information over classical networks, and so we need to continue to push that forefront and look to interconnect heterogeneous systems at the data scale level, so that we can actually extract this information and compute upon it.”

Lawmakers also probed the witnesses on supply chain concerns related to quantum information sciences. James Kushmerick, director of the Physical Measurement Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, was asked about U.S. reliance on Europe and China for components like lasers and cooling equipment.

“One of the things we are looking for within the reauthorization is to kind of refocus and kind of onshore or develop new supply chains, not even just kind of duplicate what’s there, but move past that,” Kushmerick said. “Through the Quantum Accelerator Program, we’re looking to focus on chip-scale lasers and modular, small cryo-systems that can be deployed in different ways, as a change agent to kind of move forward.”

Several lawmakers also expressed concerns about the workforce related to quantum information sciences, with several pointing out that cuts to the NSF and changes to U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration could hamper research and development.

Kushmerick said the NIST-supported Quantum Economic Development Consortium polled members in the quantum industry to better understand workforce challenges.

“It’s not just in quantum physicists leading the efforts,” Kushmerick said. “It’s really all the way through to engineers and technicians and people at all levels. So I really think we need a whole government effort to increase the pipeline through certificates to degrees and other activities.”

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