Researchers call on US to fund quantum computing to ‘accelerate human progress’

Quantum computing has as much power to change the world as does the buzzier technology artificial intelligence, three Google researchers argued in Foreign Affairs.

Over the last decade, 20 world governments have invested $40 billion in quantum computing, and the tech has been improving “largely out of public view.” As with AI, China and the US are leading the innovation race, driven by the belief that quantum’s code-breaking capabilities present a national security issue.

But quantum computing could be broadly transformative: It could “spur innovation, scientific discovery, economic growth, and opportunity,” rivaling AI. The US needs to commit more resources to avoid falling behind China, and to “accelerate human progress and build a better future,” they argued.