Two officials from the National Science Foundation (NSF) are pointing to early indications from the White House’s science and technology agenda as evidence that development of quantum and artificial intelligence technologies will be hot-button issues for the Trump administration.
Speaking at the Quantum.Tech conference in Washington on April 15, those agency officials noted recent statements from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios showing that quantum tech is high on his office’s list for attention.
During his Senate confirmation hearing in February, Kratsios pledged to bolster the nation’s efforts in AI and quantum technology if confirmed. Last month, President Donald Trump reinforced that promise by directing Kratsios to prioritize emerging technologies such as AI and quantum.
Responding to questions from attendees at the event about how NSF is working with the Trump administration to drive innovation, David Berkowitz, who is assistant director of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at NSF, responded, “It’s a transition time, but a very interesting and exciting time” with Kratsios heading OSTP.
“If you read some of the remarks of OSTP Director Kratsios, it’s clear that what he calls critical technologies will be a priority for this administration, and among them, AI and quantum are clearly near the top,” Berkowitz said.
“We look forward to more conversations with OSTP on where we are,” he said, adding, “It’s early on yet in this administration, and ultimately, Congress will secure a budget for NSF” that helps determine the agency’s priorities.
“That will help to define what sort of opportunity space we have going forward, how we partner with the private sector – which is critical in this area – and how we can partner internationally,” Berkowitz said.
Speaking at the same event, Erwin Gianchandani, who is assistant director of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships at NSF, sounded a similar note of optimism in response to a question about the future of NSF quantum research programs under the Trump administration.
“I think it’s clear, if you read the materials that this administration has put out on topic areas like AI, technology areas like AI and quantum that are so critical to U.S. competitiveness and so critical to global competitiveness and progress, these are areas that are front and center for this administration,” he said.
Gianchandani suggested that policy questions for quantum and AI tech include, “how do we break down regulatory barriers, how do we surface and drive forward innovation,” along with accelerating time-to-market for those technologies.
“We’re looking forward to working on engaging and continuing to drive this agenda as we move forward,” the NSF official said.