© 2017 SRI International. All Rights Reserved. Confidential © 2017 SRI International. All Rights Reserved. Confidential 

Quantum Economic 

Development 

Consortium (QED-C)

NIST VCAT Meeting

October 16, 2018

Joe Broz, SRI
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The Birth and Development of an Industry

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First Transistor, 1947

William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain 2018, IC (12”, < 10 nm)

Wafer processing

Wet cleans

Cleaning by solvents

Piranha solution

RCA clean

Photolithography

Ion implantation 

Dry etching

Wet etching

Plasma ashing

Thermal treatments

Rapid thermal anneal

Furnace anneals

Thermal oxidation

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)

Physical vapor deposition (PVD)

Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)

Electrochemical deposition (ECD)

Chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP)

Wafer testing

Wafer backgrinding

Die preparation

Wafer mounting

Die cutting

IC packaging

Die attachment

IC bonding

Wire bonding

Thermosonic bonding

Flip chip

Wafer bonding

Tape Automated Bonding (TAB)

IC encapsulation

Baking

Plating

Lasermarking

Trim and form

IC testing

INDUSTRY &

INFRASTRUCTURE Supply Chain of Enabling Technologies
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Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C)

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.... Will help accelerate the Quantum Industry by fostering a robust Supply 

Chain.

 Definition of a Consortium: an agreement, combination, or group of 

companies formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of 

any one member

 SRI has been contracted to establish a Quantum Economic 

Development Consortium for the emerging Quantum Industry

The “QED-C”
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Quantum Enabling Device Development Continuum 

• De-risked 

components

• Robust 

infrastructure

• Common 

standards

• Testbeds

STAGE &

TRL:

ACTIVITY:

EFFICIENCIES:

ENGAGED

DISCIPLINES:

Understanding

Physical

Phenomena

Exploiting &

Controlling

Phenomena

Create First

of a Kind

Devices

Create Key SubComponents &

Devices/ T&E/

Performance Stds.

Develop Efficient

Common PurposeDriven Device

Designs/ T&E/ Stds.

Competitive R&D

And Industry 

Activities:

• Production 

Equipment 

Fabrication & 

Sales

• COTS Device 

Manufacturing & 

Sales

• Full Quantum 

Systems

• Deploy Quantum 

Systems at Utility 

Introduce New Scale

Common Enabling Devices

Performance Standards Create Device

Production Equipment

Standards

COTS Device &

Systems Performance

Standards

AMO Physics / Scientific Theory / R&D / Materials

T&E / Engineering Design & Development

Public/Private Support:

Funding & Collaboration

Prototype

Components

and Subsystems

Basic

R&D

Application

R&D

Device

Prototypes

Enabling 

Component 

Development 

1 2 3 4 5

QED-C Quantum Consortium Activities

4
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The Purpose of the QED-C is:

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1. To support enabling technology R&D: e.g. quantum device 

components, instrumentation, and performance standards

2. To facilitate industry coordination and interaction with government 

agencies

3. To provide the government with a collective industry voice in guiding 

R&D investment priorities and quantum workforce issues
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The Objectives of the QED-C

 Determine workforce needs essential to the development of quantum 

technologies;

 Provide efficient public-private sector coordination;

 Identify technology solutions for filling gaps in research or 

infrastructure;

 Highlight use cases and grand challenges to accelerate development 

efforts; and

 Foster sharing of intellectual property, efficient supply chains, 

technology forecasting and quantum literacy.
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The Value Proposition of the QED-C:

 Competitive Benefits: The US Quantum Industry is nascent and 

fragmented (along transition, technical, organizational, sector and 

funding dimensions), and is ≤, or ≪, Near-Peer: EU, UK, China... The 

QED-C will help foster industry collaboration and coordination.

 Close Enabling Technology Gaps: The QED-C will help build a stronger 

supply chain for research and industrial productivity.

 The QED-C offers efficiency over “standard” RFP processes:

 Coordinated public/ private funding, and coordinated funding among multiple 

Federal agencies

 Encourages non-traditional industry partners

 It’s not about spending more... The QED-C will spend smarter!

 The US Quantum Industry will benefit from performance and evaluation 

standards... The QED-C will facilitate SDO participation.

OOuuttppuutt / IInnppuutt ≫ 1 
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Proposed Membership

The QED-C is primarily “by and for US Industry” (at all sizes and stages) to support 

US Economic Growth.

 Includes Members that would self-identify as “members of the quantum industry 

community”, or “participating in the emerging quantum industry”.

 Also includes equipment suppliers, instrumentation OEM’s, materials companies, service 

providers, End-Users, etc.

QED-C will also engage:

 Academic Community

 Standards Development Organizations

 Professional Societies

 Investment Community

 International Partnerships

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Proposed QED-C Deliverables

Years 1 &2:

 Workforce Requirements Analysis and Actions

 Gap Identification and Needed Enabling Technology and Infrastructure

 Needs Assessments for Instruments and Tools

 Input to USG for R&D Programs

Year 2+

 Cost-Shared Funding of Enabling Technology R&D Programs in the Consortium

Potential Out-Year Activities:

 Facilitate Quantum Standards and Metrics

 Use Cases and Studies of Q-Advantage

 Q-Community Representation

 Scientific and Market Forecasts

TIME

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DRAFT Proposed Phased QED-C Organizational Structure

• All CNS Domains

• Identifies Technical Gaps

• Defines Enabling Technologies

• Establishes R&D Themes

• Issues and Evaluates RFP’s and 

Proposals (Rules/OCI)

• Monitors R&D Progress

Technical 

Advisory

Council

Governing

Board

Governs QED-C and Develops Operating Principles

• Composition: 3 Large Industry/2 Small Industry/2 Federal

• Includes Non-Voting Advisory Board Members

• Governs R&D Allocations and Ratifies RFP’s

Executive Management of QED-C

• Vision and Strategy

• Membership Recruitment

• Liaison and Advocacy

Director of 

Commercialization

Executive

Director

Responsible for Technical Direction

• Chairs Technical Council

• Supervises R&D Programs

• Drives Technology Advancement 

& Success

Responsible for Operations, Federal Relationships and 

Cost Share 

• Manages Cooperative Agreement

• Manages R&D Funding and Cost Share

• Financial Planning

Responsible for Tech Transition 

and Licensing

• Responsible for all IP & 

Manages Licensing

• New Partnerships

• Links to VC Community

Deputy Director of 

Operations

Director of 

Communications

Responsible for both External and 

Internal Communications

• Leads Studies and Outreach Programs

• External Comms and Press

• Consortium Events and Briefings

Director of

Science &Technology

2018

2020

TIME

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Governing Board

 Board Composition (3-2-2)

 Large Industrial members at highest dues levels (3)

 Representatives of medium and small-size companies (2)

 Federal Partners (2)

 (Possibly) non-voting state or regional economic development representatives

 Others as approved by GB

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Simple IP Policy:

IP Ownership

“Ownership follows Invention” rule so that Development Partners:

 Retain full ownership rights to the IP that the Development Partner conceives 

pursuant to a QED-C Development Agreement using QED-C Funding

 Retain full ownership rights to its own background IP, if any

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Consortium and IP Owner Rights:

 USG License: Grant to the USG a non-exclusive, nontransferable, paid-up, worldwide 

perpetual license to use the Consortium IP for any Government purpose

 Evaluation License: Grant to each QED-C Member a non-exclusive, royalty-free, non- transferable license for the duration of Member’s membership to use the 

Consortium IP (without the right to sublicense) for the limited purposes of further 

evaluation and R&D

 Commercial License: On request, grant to any QED-C Member a non-exclusive, 

transferable worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) on commercially 

reasonable, nondiscriminatory (“RAND”) terms

 Third-Party Licenses: On terms negotiated by the Development Partner.

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Proposed Phased-Dues Structure

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

• Phased-in dues structure

• In-kind commitments possible for 

governance and technical programs

• Cost-share anticipated for leveraged 

USG R&D

Year 1 & 2 Deliverables:

• Workforce requirements analysis and actions

• Gap identification and needed 

enabling technology and infrastructure

• Input to USG for R&D programs

Year 2+ Deliverables:

• Cost-shared funding of enabling technology R&D

programs in the Consortium + year 1 and 2 + out-year deliverables

• Use cases and studies of Q-Advantage

• Quantum standards and metrics

• Q-Community representation/unified voice

• Scientific and market forecasts

Established-Phase Dues 

Initial-Phase Dues *

* Companies joining early (years 1 and 2) could receive credit in year 3.

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Companies with signed LOI’s (as of 10/10/18)

 AO Sense

 AT&T

 Boeing

 BraKet

 Cold Quanta

 Corning

 Entanglement Institute

 GE Global Research

 Google

 Harris

 IBM

 Intel

 IonQ

 Janis Research

 Keysight

 KLA-Tencor

 Montana Instruments

 Psi Quantum

 QC Ware

 Quantum Circuits, Inc.

 Raytheon/ Raytheon-BBN

 Rigetti

 SRI

 Toptica

 Zyvex
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Next Steps

 25 Signed Letters of Intent (LOI), plus waiting on several additional

 Initiating Year 1 Tasks (@NIST Boulder Meeting– October 29th & 30th, 

2018):

 Form Governing Board and Technical Advisory Council

 Form TAC Sub-committees (e.g. Workforce, Enabling Technologies, End Use, R&D 

Thrusts, Standards, etc.)

 Participation Agreements (PA)

 Determine final Governance, IP Rules, Dues, Membership

 Executive Search to Hire Director

 Prepare for Funding (Vehicles, RFP’s, Proposal Selection, etc.)

 Set Timetable for Initial Operating Years

 Kick-Off Workforce Analysis and R&D Initiatives

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