The Quantum Technology Already in Use by Federal Agencies Today
Some federal agencies are already hard at work on projects that employ quantum computing.
The Department of Energy, for example, recently announced its Quantum Genesis initiative, which will deploy the “world’s first fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computing capability.” Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is looking to industry partners to help shore up its defenses against quantum threats.
CDW is working with mission owners at the Department of the Navy to solve large logistical problems with quantum computing. Shipbuilding, supply chain management and wartime acquisition readiness are, at their core, enormous optimization problems that quantum is well-equipped to solve. This could look like forecasting complex supply chains, mapping new routes if a conflict disrupts them or sustaining operations under pressure.
While larger federal agencies and departments are already getting started on using quantum computing in their workflows, many other federal entities who may benefit from quantum are missing out on the technology due to lack of infrastructure or expertise.
For Federal Agencies, ‘Quantum Readiness’ Means Infrastructure Readiness
At present, most federal agencies are generally unprepared to place a quantum computer in their own facilities. That pipeline doesn’t yet exist, and it may never need to. This raises an important question: If the computer is somewhere else, how can federal agencies safely access the technology?
The Energy Department and the Navy have not suddenly acquired a swathe of quantum computers; rather, the technology is delivered primarily through cloud environments.
In other words, the principles of IT have not changed with quantum, and the new technology won’t make classical computing obsolete any time soon. The two work hand in hand: Classical systems prepare and move the data, and quantum systems solve the enormous matrix problems that would otherwise take years.
But that handoff only works if the infrastructure underneath it is sound. Getting data to a remote quantum computer is a networking, throughput and connectivity problem, and an agency’s weakest link caps everything downstream.
So “quantum readiness” is, in large part, infrastructure readiness. The quantum companies build extraordinary machines. They don’t orchestrate the integration, the connectivity or the preparedness that let an agency put one to use.
ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION: Modernize your agency’s IT infrastructure.
CDW’s Experts Are Available To Ease the Federal Adoption of Quantum Computing
Federal agencies need an industry partner who can help them understand where quantum fits into their existing workflows, where it doesn’t and what they might have to change about their infrastructure before proceeding with the new technology.
CDW’s expert strategists are poised to work with federal agencies to develop the ecosystem quantum needs to reach its full potential. We’re also looking at how traditional hardware providers will, in the future, fit into quantum activities in both the federal and private sectors.
Put simply, CDW is doing the unglamorous integration work that produces results.
The quantum on-ramp already exists. CDW’s innovation centers are where mission owners can become quantum-aware, running real-world cases on high-performance computing with traditional gear from original equipment manufacturers before committing to anything.
Quantum is ready today, but that readiness relies on an agency’s infrastructure. CDW is waiting in the wings to help any federal agency get started.
