Support for the Formation of the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee for Quantum Technologies (JTC-Q)
The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C®) supports the formation of the proposed ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee on Quantum Technologies (JTC-Q). QED-C recommends that ANSI vote to approve the proposal by the British Standards Institution (BSI). QED-C views the formation of a quantum technologies-focused JTC as important to the development of standards in quantum technology due to the scope of the standards required, the type of leadership and expertise that would facilitate cooperative standards development, and the effective establishment of liaisons and relationships that would pursue ethically validated developments among global entities as determined by seasoned, expert participants.
Scope: Quantum technology is an extremely broad area of technical development, with integrated technology development objectives ranging from basic science research in chemistry and physics to mathematically abstracted chip and network operations. Information Technology is only a part of the scope needed for standards activities. If the scope of the broadest ISO/IEC quantum technology effort were to focus solely on quantum information technology (e.g., WG14), it would be more challenging to integrate the other aspects of quantum technology in anticipation of a globally competitive marketplace. Eventual users of quantum technologies worldwide would benefit from standardized operations across various segments of the quantum technology supply chain to effectively enable quantum technology compatibility across devices of various types, including sensors, networking interconnects, compute-oriented chips, and more.
Leadership: A new JTC would enable quantum experts to provide leadership at the highest levels, placing technical development decisions in the hands of seasoned quantum experts, from scientists to network technicians, and everyone in between. Given global scientific expertise in quantum technologies, leadership in such a group could be diverse, both culturally and technologically, allowing for greater compatibility towards quantum technology development and its global advantages prior to mass rollout of quantum technology products.
Liaisons: A JTC focused on quantum would provide the best basis for establishing liaisons with other relevant quantum standards development organizations. Moreover, due to the potentially disruptive nature of quantum technologies, such liaison formations within the group could be completed ethically through the establishment of guidelines for standards collaboration in wide-ranging areas, including low-technology readiness areas.
QED-C views the formation of JTC-Q as important for our members and for the broader ecosystem, both in the United States and its allied nations, providing them with a fair playing field through which they can help lead standards development for global quantum technologies. QED-C would be interested in exploring a liaison relationship with the proposed JTC-Q.
About QED-C: As an industry-driven consortium, QED-C seeks to enable and grow a robust quantum industry and associated supply chain. QED-C is managed by SRI International and supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and has about 240 members, including component manufacturers and suppliers, software and hardware system developers, researchers, professional service providers, and end users. Consortium membership represents companies, universities, federally funded research and development centers, government, and other stakeholders. QED-C participants are working together to identify gaps in technology, standards, and workforce and to collaboratively address those gaps. QED-C is international, now welcoming applicants from 39 countries and having established the International Council of Quantum Industry Associations (ICQIA) with Quantum Industry Canada (QIC), Quantum Strategic Industry Alliance for Revolution (Q-STAR), and European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC). Learn more about QED-C at quantumconsortium.org.