Commission on U.S. Quantum Primacy Urges Sustained Investment to Turn Quantum Discovery Into American Advantage

Insider Brief

• A preliminary report from the Commission on U.S. Quantum Primacy calls for expanding U.S. quantum leadership from research into deployment, manufacturing and industrial scale.
• The report warns that China’s public investment, manufacturing capacity and supply chains could help it scale quantum technologies faster than the United States.
• Priorities include sustained research funding, coordinated hardware and software development, post-quantum security, foundry access and workforce training, with implementation recommendations due in spring 2027.

PRESS RELEASE — The Commission on U.S. Quantum Primacy (CUSP), convened by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), released today its preliminary report, Defining the American Quantum Era, a strategy argument for why the United States must move beyond scientific leadership in quantum and build the capacity to deploy and manufacture quantum technologies at scale. The Commission is co-chaired by U.S. Sen.Todd Young (R-IN), U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Ylli Bajraktari, president of SCSP.

The report warns that America’s strengths in research, software and private investment will not automatically become leadership in deployment or industrial scale. The U.S. currently holds an edge in quantum research and in deployed quantum computing systems, but that position varies across the quantum technologies. China has made quantum a strategic priority, backing it with significant public investment, and is moving from demonstration to infrastructure in areas like quantum networking. Supply chain and manufacturing advantages, paired with a well-funded R&D base, could allow China to scale quantum innovation faster than the United States.

“Leadership in quantum will not be decided by who publishes the most papers or reaches a single milestone first,” said Bajraktari. “It will be decided by who turns quantum discoveries into deployed, manufactured, trusted capabilities. This preliminary report lays out what the United States must get right across discovery, development, deployment, and scale, and the window to act is limited.” 

The Commission defines quantum primacy as the enduring ability to discover, develop, deploy and scale strategically consequential quantum capabilities and use them to strengthen national security, technological innovation and economic competitiveness. It does not require self-reliance or being first at every milestone, but it does depend on trusted allies and partners.

 “America’s quantum science is the envy of the world, but discoveries in the lab only matter if they reach the field, the factory, and the warfighter,” said Young. “This report is a call to make sure the breakthroughs we pioneer are built, deployed, and secured here.”

The report identifies near-term priorities across four mutually reinforcing elements:

• Discovery: match federal ambitions with sustained, predictable funding for foundational research, and create dedicated tracks for new quantum algorithms and applications.
• Development: co-develop quantum software and hardware through a national program potentially modeled on the Exascale Computing Project, and build a NIST-led public-private benchmarking and interoperability effort.
• Deployment: expand mission-relevant use cases, build repeatable integration pathways and accelerate migration to post-quantum cryptography across critical infrastructure and state and local governments.
• Scale: secure supply chains, establish a National Quantum Foundry Access Program, build the full quantum workforce from technicians to Ph.D.s and forge an allied quantum market.

“Quantum has the potential to transform everything from navigation and health care to the security of our digital infrastructure,” said Luján. “Preparing for the future of quantum technology should not be a partisan issue. We must continue investing in a skilled workforce, supporting research and innovation, and strengthening partnerships between our National Labs, universities, and industry. New Mexico is home to some of the brightest minds in quantum research, and I will continue working to ensure our state is a leader in this emerging technology.” 

The Commission’s final report, due in Spring 2027, will translate this framework into an implementation strategy with policy recommendations and infrastructure needs.