Insider Brief
- A bipartisan group in the U.S. House introduced the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act to accelerate the development and deployment of quantum technologies through public-private testbeds.
- The sandbox program will provide a cloud-based environment where government and industry can jointly create quantum and hybrid applications for sectors such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and defense.
- The bill complements the National Quantum Initiative by emphasizing real-world use cases and rapid commercialization, with strong backing from quantum industry leaders including D-Wave, Quantinuum, and QED-C.
PRESS RELEASE — U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-CA) introduced the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act alongside co-leads Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC). The bill aims to increase quantum technology commercial advancement through the creation of a quantum sandbox program. This program allows government and industry partners to come together to develop and deploy quantum and quantum-hybrid applications for near-term use.
“Quantum computing is a game-changing advancement in technology. It will dramatically increase the speed at which computers can run algorithms and solve problems, enabling new opportunities to improve our supply chains, transportation networks, electrical grid, and our communication resilience,” said Rep. Obernolte. “The Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act will help to ensure the United States remains a global leader in not only the development but also the deployment of new quantum technologies by providing a cloud-based venue for developers to produce quantum-enabled software tools from a variety of different systems for use in sectors such as telecommunications, financial services, healthcare and defense.”
“The application of quantum technologies in manufacturing is vital to the future competitiveness of Michigan manufacturers. The bipartisan Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act will create testbeds to allow innovators to test quantum discoveries in real-world applications, like advanced manufacturing,” said Rep. Haley Stevens. “This legislation will ensure businesses and researchers here at home can apply this emerging technology and help Michigan businesses continue to grow and innovate.”
Unlike traditional computers which store and analyze data as either zeros or ones, quantum computers operate with quantum bits, known as qubits, which are complex dual systems of both zero and one simultaneously, a concept derived from quantum physics. Although fully developed commercial quantum computing remains years away, finding new ways to tackle critical challenges is a key objective of a quantum sandbox program. Once use cases are identified, the sandbox program can provide an expedited pathway to develop targeted applications through public-private partnerships.
The quantum sandbox program will drive U.S. innovation toward solving critical real-world challenges impacting American society and will augment the long-term basic research currently being conducted through the National Quantum Initiative.
What they’re saying:
D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz: “We commend Representatives Obernolte, Stevens, Hudson and Weber for their continued leadership on advancing near-term applications of emerging technologies like quantum and AI. We’re already seeing meaningful progress where quantum computing is providing computational advantages. For example, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center recently developed a quantum application for wildfire management. A dedicated program to accelerate near-term quantum applications is essential to incorporating hardware and software advancements, and the quantum sandbox legislation would do just that by enabling public-private partnerships to safely test and validate applications within a 24-month timeframe. This effort is key to demonstrating the real-world viability of quantum technologies. We strongly urge its enactment this Congress.”
Strangeworks Founder and CEO whurley: “As a nation, our leadership in quantum technology depends on bold, forward-thinking initiatives and the Quantum Sandbox Act is a perfect example. At Strangeworks, we strongly support this legislation, which expands access to quantum computing and accelerates the development of real-world, near-term applications. With continued investment and public-private collaboration, quantum technology holds the promise to transform entire industries—advancing medical breakthroughs, driving sustainability, strengthening national security, and redefining artificial intelligence. This bill represents a pivotal step in shaping a more innovative, resilient future, and we are proud to stand behind it.”
Celia Merzbacher, Executive Director, QED-C: “The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C®) seeks to grow the quantum economy through the development of quantum technologies for applications in sensing, communication, and computing. As documented in various QED-C reports, there are many use cases that experts believe are highly feasible and within grasp. The Quantum Sandbox act will accelerate the discovery and development of near-term applications and in the process will build the capacity for longer term innovation as well.”
Alliance for Digital Innovation Executive Director Ross Nodurft: “We commend Reps. Obernolte Stevens, Weber, and Hudson for their commitment to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and the Quantum Sandbox bill is another step in the right direction. A quantum sandbox program is a critical program to provide rapid development of new and innovative cloud-based solutions to solve public-sector challenges, and we support enactment of this legislation.”
Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President & CEO of Quantinuum: “As the world’s largest integrated quantum computing company, Quantinuum strongly supports the bipartisan Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act. This legislation is essential to ensure the continued leadership of the U.S. in this critical emerging technology. By fostering application development and accelerating commercialization, the Act will help unlock solutions to some of today’s most complex challenges across a range of critical sectors—including healthcare, energy, national security and beyond.”
Jitesh Lalwani, CEO Artificial Brain: “Artificial Brain warmly welcomes and urges the expeditious passage of the Quantum Sandbox Act. Our company is already developing and deploying our quantum software and hybrid QML solutions on quantum hardware through the cloud, achieving huge successes across all of our use cases, including in defense and energy. Artificial Brain has been a leading industry voice on the quantum computing advantages that are already here. Now is the moment for the U.S. to act boldly. The Congressional findings agree with our own clear message: Quantum innovation is critical and foundational to the United States and that quantum and hybrid applications can provide innovative near term solutions across the public and private sector. This is why it is imperative that our country shifts our focus to developing and deploying near-term applications. We must be positioned to develop an unrivaled quantum workforce and near-term application development or risk losing behind allies and adversaries alike. This shift will take total commitment, and we are pleased to see both the Congress and Administration as supportive champions so we can seize on these near-term, value-creating opportunities. This legislation might be one of the most consequential and bipartisan achievements for U.S. innovation of this congressional term.”
Paul Stimers, Executive Director of the Quantum Industry Coalition: “As the US quantum industry advances the commercialization of quantum technologies, it is increasingly important for the National Quantum Initiative to include a focus on near-term applications. The Quantum Industry Coalition commends Rep. Obernolte for addressing this issue, and looks forward to incorporating it into the National Quantum Initiative reauthorization process this year.”
