The Trump Administration is committed to American leadership in quantum information science (QIS) ,and to unleashing its incredible potential for U.S. economic growth, technological advancement, and national security. To coordinate a national research effort encompassing Federal agencies, the academic community, and industry leaders already underway, The White House National Quantum Coordination Office has released A Strategic Vision for America’s Quantum Networks. Exploring how to build the quantum internet—a vast network of quantum computers and other quantum devices—will catalyze new technologies that accelerate today’s internet, improve the security of our communications, and allow dramatic advances in computing. By leading the way in quantum net working, America is poised to revolutionize national and financial security, patient privacy, drug discovery, and the design and manufacturing of new materials, while increasing our scientific understanding of the universe. Quantum computing and networking technologies are still at an early stage of research and development(R&D). The strategic vision focuses America’s R&D efforts to advance the development of foundations for the quantum internet. It establishes QIS community goals for quantum networking, and recommends six specific technical areas for focused research activity. This strategic vision is driven by the National Quantum Initiative Act (NQIA), signed into law by President Trump in December 2018, to accelerate QIS R&D through increased federal investment and coordination. The strategy was developed through the NQIA’s coordinating bodies, the National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO) and the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science (SCQIS) and reflects deep community input from SCQIS request for information responses of 2018-2019 and from recent workshops hosted by Federal agencies1,2.Over the past year, as called for by the NQIA, The White House established the National Quantum Coordination Office to unify Federal R&D activities across government, and the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee to ensure perspectives from the quantum community inform Federal efforts. Additionally, to implement the NQIA, the National Science Foundation announced the Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes3 solicitation to explore foundational quantum science and technology, and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced funding for the creation of new QIS research centers where researchers from DOE’s National Labs will join with experts from academia and the private sector to advance R&D. This builds upon the robust QIS research programs, centers and consortia at other agencies including National Institute for Standards and Technology, the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, and NASA. In 1969, the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency demonstrated the first network(ARPANET) that led to the internet we know today. Back then, one could hardly imagine that it would become the world’s most powerful driver for economic growth and quality of life. As demonstrated once by ARPANET and now by A Strategic Vision for America’s Quantum Networks and the NQIA, the Federal government has a critical role to play in driving early-stage QIS research and providing direction to national R&D efforts. Under the Trump Administration’s leadership, the United States will pioneer the quantum internet and ensure QIS discovery and innovation that benefits all Americans.
