Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are scheduled to attend a Biden administration forum on quantum technology on Tuesday, as the US government attempts to combat hacking risks and corner a booming industry.
The event will be hosted by the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and will highlight crucial uses of quantum computing, which is predicted to function millions of times faster than today's best supercomputers.
"There's a lot of excitement about quantum computers and quantum sensors, and there's some hype associated with that," Charlie Tahan, assistant director for quantum information science at OSTP, said.
"But what we really want to get down to: what are the applications that a future quantum computer could run that could really benefit our society."
According to an administration spokesperson, Northrop Grumman, Intel, International Business Machines, Honeywell International, and Boeing are also anticipated to participate.
The administration of President Joe Biden is particularly concerned about the national security implications of quantum technology, which promises the capacity to easily breach current encryption standards.
The technology, which is based on fundamental physics principles, is still in its early stages, but it has become a hot topic among investors hoping to improve healthcare, banking, artificial intelligence, weather forecasting, and other fields.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been channeled into the industry by Congress, including quantum research centers, and proposals currently under consideration might add billions more.
China, Washington's main international foe, has made substantial attempts to develop the technology as well.
Tahan said the Biden administration also hopes to attract more students to the field and improve cybersecurity surrounding private research and development to prevent snooping.
President Joe Biden called for coordinated oversight of emerging technologies in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21.
Biden's UN visit also coincided with a series of meetings between the U.S. and partner nations. Through these partnerships, the U.S. is seeking to forge agreements on general principles for technology governance and to expand cooperation on matters such as technical standards and technology supply chains.
The U.S. rivalry with nations such as China and Russia is an unmistakable backdrop to such efforts, analysts said.
