Quantum Computing Starts to Draw State Lawmakers’ Attention

Move over, artificial intelligence. Quantum computing may be the next big thing in tech, and state legislators are beginning to take a look at it.

For the uninitiated, quantum computing, like AI, is a new class of technology. But instead of relying upon machine learning and natural language processing, quantum computers leverage the principles of quantum mechanics—that is, the physics of subatomic particles—to process data in ways that are radically different from conventional computing.

The computers in your home or office or embedded in your mobile phone are built on bits, the most basic unit of digital information. Bits, short for binary digits, can only exist in one of two states: zero or one. Logic gates, basic components of digital circuits made from transistors, take in bits of data and combine or transform them according to simple rules to produce an output.

Strung together, bits fed into logic gates enable computers to perform complex calculations or select the appropriate option from a branching decision tree.

This kind of architecture is great for a litany of straightforward jobs: math problems, sequential tasks, everyday applications like web browsing, word processing, email, gaming, etc.

But conventional computing isn’t ideal for certain tasks that require exploring numerous possibilities simultaneously, like factoring large numbers or simulating molecules or searching unsorted databases or picking the ideal delivery route or airline flight. That’s where quantum computing offers tantalizing potential.

Rather than being built on bits, quantum computers are built on quantum bits or qubits for short. While bits are rigidly zeros or ones, qubits behave like quantum particles, which can both exist in multiple states at the same time, a concept known as quantum superposition, and remain tightly connected to similar particles even when they’re separated by vast distances, an idea in physics called quantum entanglement.

With these quantum attributes, qubits turn the idea of a simple bit on its head by storing data as zeros, ones or as a weighted combination of zero and one simultaneously. This allows for an entirely new class of quantum algorithm that can manipulate data in ways that traditional computers simply can’t.

The global consulting firm McKinsey & Company projects that quantum technology could be worth $100 billion in a decade as investments in the sector are starting to surge. A primary focus of state legislators right now appears to be setting up their states to be leaders in this groundbreaking new technology.

Quantum Computing Bills Introduced Coast to Coast

This year lawmakers in at least 15 states have considered measures dealing substantively with quantum technology, including those aimed at providing tax credits for developers of that technology. Six of those states have enacted such measures.

Three States Out of Gate on Quantum Development

Early this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), signed AB 940, by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D), which directs the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to create a statewide strategy to grow the state’s “quantum economy” as Newsom referred to it in a press release.

“Quantum will define the future—and with AB 940, California is claiming its place at the forefront,” Wicks said in the press release. “By directing the development of a statewide strategy, this bill ensures we are positioning ourselves to lead in quantum innovation, create good-paying jobs, and capture the immense economic value this technology will generate.”

But despite the legislator’s hope that the Golden State will be a leader in the space, as well as its well-earned reputation as an innovation incubator (see Silicon Valley), California trailed at least two other states in taking action to spur its stake in quantum technology.

One of those states is California’s culture war rival Texas, whose governor, Greg Abbott(R), signed HB 4751, by Republican Reps. Giovanni Capriglione, Greg Bonnen, and Stan Kitzman and Democratic Reps. Richard Peña Raymond and Suleman Lalani, in June to position the Lone Star State as a national leader in quantum computing.

But those two states were both beat to the punch by South Dakota—not widely considered a center of technological innovation—when its former governor, Krisi Noem (R), now U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, signed SB 45 in March 2024 to establish a Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology at Dakota State University in Madison.

“South Dakota is continuing to be a leader in emerging technology,” Noem said in a press release after she signed the bill. “This center will combine numerous fields to make tremendous advancements in cybersecurity, agriculture, healthcare and more.”

The trio of bills suggests a sort of gold rush may be brewing when it comes to quantum computing and state legislators. A search of the LexisNexis® State Net® legislative tracking system indicates at least a dozen other states introduced measures referring to “quantum” in their title or summary this year.

Most of those measures failed, but some are still pending. And five have been enacted: Alabama’s HJR 181, creating a task force to evaluate the economic impacts of quantum computing; Colorado HB 1330, exempting quantum computing from the state’s Consumer Repair Bill of Rights Act; Indiana’s HB 1601, establishing a tax credit for quantum research; and Maryland’s HB 376 and SB 294, requiring the Maryland Cybersecurity Council “to assess and address cybersecurity threats and associated risks from artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

More Bills Aimed at Regulating Quantum Computing Could Be on Horizon

Like AI, quantum computing also poses risks, largely to cybersecurity since it would make most encryption methods obsolete.

So, while state lawmakers are currently focused mainly on fostering development of the technology in their states, it’s safe to assume more of them could start looking to regulate it in the future, as Maryland is doing with HB 376 and SB 294—and as legislators across the country are doing with AI.

But while name-brand companies like Amazon, Google, IBM and  Microsoft as well as the federal government are investing in quantum computing, practical application of the technology remains at least several years away.

That suggests that for the time being state legislators’ interest may stay focused mainly on creating a business environment to stimulate quantum investments within their borders.

—By SNCJ Correspondent BRIAN JOSEPH

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