CMI Webinar: The Vulnerability of Raw Materials to Scaling in Quantum Technology

Описание: For the CMI Webinar on April 15, 2025, guest speaker Min-Ha Lee, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University, presented "The Vulnerability of Raw Materials to Scaling in Quantum Technology."

On 7 June 2024, the United Nations made a significant declaration, designating 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. This global recognition of the field’s importance is a testament to quantum science's contributions to technological progress, its role in sustainable development, and its commitment to ensuring that all nations have access to quantum education and opportunities.

Quantum computing is an emerging area that governments are increasingly identifying as essential for their country’s future economic prosperity and national security. This technology employs the principles of quantum physics—the counterintuitive laws of physics that apply at the atomic scale or extremely low temperatures—to enable powerful new methods of collecting, processing, and transmitting information that (in principle) could far exceed the fundamental limits of our current technologies. Most applications of quantum computing are still in their early stages of development but have rapidly matured over the past several years.

As the quantum computing transitions from theoretical concepts to practical applications, its implications for manufacturing and global supply chain of critical parts, including raw materials have become increasingly significant. In the face of the multifaceted potential of quantum innovations, it is thus imperative to conduct a systematic investigation into critical raw materials that might be relevant for international trade flow, including, but not limited to, those of economic and national security purposes and the resulting geopolitical dynamics, underscoring the urgency and importance of this task.