WEEK OF SEPT 9, 2024

What’s Ahead

RPI celebrates breaking ground on IBM Quantum System One — An IBM quantum computing system.

Hans Pennink / AP Images

US Places New Export Controls on Quantum and Other Emerging Tech

The U.S. has put new export controls on equipment and products related to quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing, advanced chips, and additive manufacturing. The rule went into effect on Sept. 6 but does not apply to quantum computing items until Nov. 5. The rule includes exceptions for countries that have instituted similar controls on specific products, such as Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the UK. The Bureau of Industry and Security, which issued the rule, is accepting public comments through early November, including on ideas for alternative ways of applying export controls to quantum technology. Specific items covered by the new controls include quantum computers as well as the software and equipment used to maintain and manufacture them.

House Republicans Press Case for China Initiative Reboot

The House plans to vote this week on a suite of bills that aim to counter actions of the Chinese government, including one that would bring back the Department of Justice’s controversial China Initiative under a new name. The Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act would create a “CCP Initiative” focused on preventing “spying by the CCP on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions,” according to chief sponsor Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), who first introduced the bill in 2023. Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has opposed the bill, arguing the China Initiative harmed many innocent academics of Asian descent and that the committee should instead focus its oversight activities on ensuring DOJ is “not simply following the practices of the China Initiative in all but name today.” The Biden administration discarded the “China Initiative” label in 2022 in favor of a broader initiative focused on nation-state threats, stating the China-specific label created a “perception” it was biased against Asian researchers. Among the proposed floor amendments to the bill the Rules Committee will consider at a meeting today is a proposal from Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) that the DOJ work with organizations representing Asian Americans to prevent racial profiling.

Among the other bills the House plans to vote on this week are:

The BIOSECURE Act, a bipartisan bill that would restrict federal agencies from obtaining biotechnology equipment or services from “countries of concern”;
A Republican bill that would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from funding universities that have relationships with Confucius Institutes or other entities of concern in China;
A bipartisan bill requiring congressional notification if the State Department renews or enters into a science and technology agreement with China; and
A bipartisan bill to clarify the definition of which foreign talent recruitment programs are considered “malign.”

Senate to Discuss DOE AI and Quantum Legislation

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to discuss the Department of Energy’s role in advanced computing research as the committee prepares to advance bills on the subject. Among them is the DOE AI Act introduced by Committee Chair Joe Manchin (I-WV), which recommends Congress appropriate $2.4 billion annually over five years for AI research at DOE, including by establishing a network of AI research clusters based at national labs and using AI to accelerate work across mission areas via DOE’s FASST Initiative. Formal support for the initiative has been building in Congress, with Senate appropriators proposing $100 million for the initiative for fiscal year 2025. Manchin’s bill would also formally authorize the DOE Office of Critical and Emerging Technology, currently led by Helena Fu, who is one of the hearing witnesses. Also testifying are Shaun Gleason, director of science-security initiative integration at Oak Ridge National Lab, and Divyansh Kaushik, a senior fellow at American Policy Ventures, a nonprofit advocacy organization. Another bill pending before the committee is the DOE Quantum Leadership Act introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Steve Daines (R-MT), which would recommend a significant increase to current funding levels for quantum information science and R&D within DOE for the next five years.

Optica Leaders Depart Amid Probe into Interactions with Huawei

Optica’s CEO, Elizabeth Rogan, and the director of its philanthropic foundation, Chad Stark, departed the organization last month following congressional scrutiny of their interactions with the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. According to a statement last week by Optica’s president, its board conducted an independent review of the foundation’s decision to permit Huawei to anonymously finance a competition supporting early-career researchers despite the company being subject to various U.S. sanctions. The board did not find any violations of the law but concluded that “not all of the agreed controls associated with the program were implemented” and that there had been a “lack of transparency” with the foundation board, leading them to decide that “a change in leadership is in the best interest of the organization.” The president also thanked Rogan and Stark for their service to Optica. The leadership change was applauded by the chair and ranking member of the House Science Committee, which began the probe of Optica in May and expanded it in July after they were not satisfied with the organization’s initial response. (Optica is an AIP Member Society and Rogan was the Optica-appointed member of the AIP board.)

Also On Our Radar

The House Science Committee will consider amendments to nine AI-focused bills on Wednesday. These include versions of several AI bills advanced by a Senate committee at the end of July, including the NSF AI Education Act and the CREATE AI Act .
The National Institute of Standards and Technology will hold a standards forum on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology.
The Nuclear Science Advisory Committee will meet Thursday to receive updates from NSF and DOE leaders and hear presentations on communicating the science enabled by the planned Electron-Ion Collider and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments.
The National Academies will host a webinar Tuesday to release a report that will identify “critical facilities, workforce, and technologies” needed to accomplish NASA’s long-term goals.
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology will meet Thursday to discuss transportation innovation.
DOE announced $118 million in awards last week for ten Energy Frontier Research Centers and $125 million in awards for two Energy Innovation Hubs focusing on battery technology.