Advancing Quantum Manufacturing Act of 2025
The Advancing Quantum Manufacturing Act of 2025 aims to strengthen and streamline how the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) work together on the National Quantum Initiative (NQI). It adds a dedicated liaison within the Coordination Office to ensure DOE and NSF activities are coordinated and not duplicative. It also broadens the policy guidance to cover a wide range of quantum information science (QIS) technologies and enabling technologies. In addition, the bill creates a Manufacturing USA Institute for Quantum Manufacturing to build a national end-to-end quantum manufacturing ecosystem—covering design, fabrication, testing, prototyping, workforce development, and a resilient supply chain with emphasis on allied sourcing. The act also directs independent studies by the National Academies on progress under the NQI and on impediments to collaboration among government programs, industry, and academia, with a report to Congress and practical legislative recommendations. In short, the bill seeks to (1) improve interagency coordination between DOE and NSF, (2) expand the scope of funded QIS activities, (3) establish a dedicated Manufacturing USA institute to scale quantum components and systems, and (4) commission studies to assess progress and collaboration barriers, informing future policy and funding decisions.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of a DOE-NSF liaison: The Coordination Office will appoint a staff liaison to ensure coordination and avoid unnecessary duplication of DOE and NSF activities under the National Quantum Initiative.
- 2Expanded sense of Congress on QIS technologies: The bill enumerates a broad set of quantum technologies to be encompassed by federal efforts, including gate-based and annealing-based quantum computing, various qubit technologies (topological materials, photons, trapped ions, neutral atoms, silicon, superconducting devices, and others), and quantum-enabling technologies (single-photon sources, lasers, RF/microwave electronics, electron spin, cryogenics, and materials fabrication).
- 3Manufacturing USA Institute for Quantum Manufacturing: The Secretary of Commerce (through the NIST Director) and the Secretary of Energy would establish or fund an Institute that creates an end-to-end quantum manufacturing ecosystem for computing, sensing, and communication. Features include: capability to design, fabricate, and test quantum materials and devices; provision of prototyping access; workforce development; and a resilient, allied-based quantum supply chain.
- 4Independent progress and impediments studies: The bill requires (a) an independent study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to assess progress of the National Quantum Initiative toward its goals, and (b) a rapid study (within 180 days of enactment) by a NIST-convened consortium on impediments to collaboration among multidisciplinary centers, national quantum centers, industry, and academia, with a report and legislative action recommendations.
- 5Reporting and accountability: The studies are to be submitted to relevant congressional committees (Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology), providing an overview of current research, funding breakdowns by technology, and risk identification.