July 09, 2024

Quantum Computing in US-China Competition

A conversation between Bonnie Glaser and Sam Howell discussing the quantum computing, its applications, and its place in US-China competition.PRINT ARTICLEChina Global Podcast - Episode 80

Quantum computing uses quantum mechanics to perform fast and complex calculations. It is often defined as a disruptive technology and is among the advanced technologies at the forefront of US-China competition. Although the US has been in the lead in the development and applications of quantum technology, China is making rapid strides. Earlier this year, China’s independently developed quantum computer, Origin Wukong, named after the Monkey King (a famous character from Chinese mythology) made the country the third in the world to develop this state-of-the-art machine.

Quantum computing has many potential applications, including financial modeling, artificial intelligence, scientific research, as well as in defense areas, such as undersea warfare and military communications networks. A new network from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), titled “The Quest for Qubits: Assessing U.S.-China Competition in Quantum Computing” explains the quantum strategies being pursued by the US and China. It makes recommendations for the US to strengthen its position in its competition with China in quantum computing.

Host Bonnie Glaser is joined by the report’s author, Sam Howell, an adjunct associate fellow, with the Technology and National Security program at CNAS. Her research interests include quantum information science, semi-conductor STEM workforce issues, and the use of emerging technologies to enhance human performance.

Listen to the full episode from the China Global Podcast.

  • Podcast
    • June 5, 2025
    Episode 1: The Hand Behind Unmanned – America’s Quest for Autonomous War

    What are unmanned weapons and where did America’s quest for autonomy begin? The answer takes us back to the birthplace of the country and David Bushnell’s famed kegs of floati...

    By Paul Scharre

  • Podcast
    • June 4, 2025
    Rational Security: The “Huffin’ and Puffin” Edition

    This week, Scott sat down with Lawfare’s Ukraine Fellow Anastasiia Lapatina and Contributing Editors Eric Ciaramella and Alex Zerden, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center fo...

    By Alex Zerden

  • Podcast
    • June 2, 2025
    Ukraine Strikes Military and Psychological Blow to Russia

    Ukraine attacked targets deep inside Russia yesterday, in what Kyiv called “Operation Spiderweb.” The Security Service of Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attack using d...

    By Samuel Bendett

  • Reports
    • May 28, 2025
    Atomic Advantage

    Executive Summary One of the most consequential national security contests now unfolds on battlefields invisible to the naked eye—across the faint radiofrequency signals of th...

    By Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia