A bipartisan pair of representatives reintroduced an act on March 6 to include quantum molecular simulations and modeling in the National Quantum Initiative (NQI).
Reps. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said that the Quantum in Practice Act aims to enable scientists to “study chemical elements and reactions with unprecedented precision.”
“Breakthrough research in quantum computing has the potential to lower input costs for farmers, improve energy storage capabilities, and produce safer, more effective medications,” Feenstra said in a statement.
Stevens added that, “by expanding federal research on quantum simulations and modeling, we can power breakthroughs in automotive technology, battery development, and advanced materials.”
The bill comes as Congress currently eyes a reauthorization of the NQI, which was signed into law during the first Trump administration and established a 10-year national plan to accelerate the development of quantum information science and technology.
While the act runs through 2029, some research and development activities covered by the NQI expired in September 2023.
While there has been overall bipartisan support for reauthorizing the NQI, Congress has yet to act on it.
Including quantum molecular simulations and modeling in the NQI, could lead to breakthroughs in medications, energy storage, lighter metals, better protective gear, and next-generation conductors that could be used to “improve energy transmission and advanced technologies,” Feenstra and Stevens said.
The bill has garnered industry support. Allison Schwartz, senior vice president of global government relations and public affairs at D-Wave, said that by including the new provisions in the NQI reauthorization “the U.S. government will strengthen the emphasis on applied sciences across its quantum efforts.”
“It’s critical that government collaborate with industry to identify the most complex public-sector challenges and leverage the strengths of each approach to quantum computing – annealing and gate-model quantum computing,” Schwartz said. “We strongly support efforts to reauthorize, expand, and advance the NQI to accelerate modernization and support holistic U.S. quantum programs.”
The Quantum in Practice Act was first introduced in March 2023 and stalled in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.