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.