The US’s big bet on quantum computing may not be justified

Last week, the US government announced $2 billion in sales in many computer companies, allocating $100 million each to various startups to invest in the company. This can be a passive or disruptive investment for many companies that may be far from a product that can be widely used. But a member of the US Congress now argues that this sale is illegal, as Congress did not allocate the money for this purpose – on the contrary, it was designed to support public research in semiconductors.

But the big money would go to a company that might not exist if it wasn’t for government support. Andron will be founded with a billion dollars each from IBM and the government and will receive employees and IP from IBM. It will serve as the basis for the development of quantum processing units and will offer its services to IBM and any other company that wants to acquire the most advanced devices.

Are any of these valid?

Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, he explained it clearly that they are not happy with the way the government is using its money to support this technology.

“This announcement is illegal and disturbing to a lot of people,” said Lofgren one day after the announcement, saying that the funds used for the agreement come from the CHIPS and Science Act, which was passed during the Biden presidency and was given “mainly microelectronics R&D, focusing on semiconductor technology.”

That technology is only slightly related, at best, to what is used in quantum processors. In addition, Lofgren claims that the money was given to promote public/private partnerships, which is not the case. Finally, he said that the big money will go to IBM, and he said that the former head of IBM (Dario Gil, the current Secretary of Science at the Department of Energy) was involved in the negotiations that led to the agreement.

None of this, he said, means that quantum processing technology is a bad investment or that the entire industry is unworthy of funding. They only say that doing so would require Congress to provide the funds to do so.