Atom Computing’s Post

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering associates participated in a DoD-led expert workshop at the RAND corporation that evaluates alternative quantum strategies. The two-day workshop was organized by Bethany Harrington, Assessments Director for the Technology and Industrial Base Assessments Office, and led by Dr. John Burke, Principal Director for Quantum Science. Technology and policy experts assessed the benefits and risks of alternative Department of Defense (DoD) strategies for ensuring U.S. leadership in quantum computing (QC) over the next decade. The discussions probed the potential advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies. This is in the face of deep uncertainty as to which quantum technologies and policies will enable the U.S. to develop an economically relevant, utility scale, quantum computer. DoD associates at RAND will develop a quantitative RDM model that captures the uncertainties, key factors, assessment horizons, and outcomes of the alternative strategies developed in the workshop. The intent is to prevent adversaries from developing cryptographically relevant quantum computing before post-quantum cryptography is widely available.