The Legislature is considering a $6M plan to introduce teaching and research on the latest supercomputers at four universities. ‘We need to be in the game.’

Four public South Dakota universities would start offering research and training in an emerging field of technology that promises to solve complex problems in minutes instead of years, if lawmakers approve a $6 million plan.

Jose-Marie Griffiths, president of Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., is leading the charge to put the state at the forefront in quantum computers, which are far faster and more capable than any of the largest, most complex supercomputers already in use.

"We need to be in the game. And if we don't do this, when the federal monies start to flow for grants and contracts, we will miss out," she said. "If we don't have that basic introductory experience and expertise, then people are not going to come to us."

The entire push for a new Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology at DSU begins with a proposed $6 million state appropriations bill now under consideration by the South Dakota Legislature, Griffiths said.

The funding won't buy a new building or even come close to affording an actual quantum computer, which in its early form costs up to $15 million and requires an extremely cold environment in which to operate.

Instead, the money would largely be used over four to five years to fund a handful of new faculty positions and graduate student slots at DSU, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, S.D., the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D., and South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D.

The funding measure, Senate Bill 45, had its first hearing before the Senate Education Committee on Jan. 25 and passed on a 6-0 vote to move ahead to the Appropriations Committee.

The bill saw support from university leaders, the Sioux Falls and South Dakota chambers of commerce and Elevate Rapid City. Lawmakers asked questions about the technology and its possible uses, the timing of development of quantum computers and if more state funding would be needed to support the quantum center in the future.

Sen. Tom Pischke, R-Dell Rapids, said he is confident DSU officials will be able to obtain outside investment to move the quantum program forward, and he voted to approve the $6 million expenditure.

“It’s exciting,” Pischke said.. “I don’t know where the future lies but I think this is something we should invest in.”
Goal of 'seed money' is to be an early leader in quantum computers

Griffiths refers to the initial investment as "seed money" to get the state positioned and recognized as an early leader in the field of quantum computers.

The machines will contain the capacity to quickly run equations, manage and manipulate data and solve problems that might take modern supercomputers many years to solve, if ever. Quantum computers, Griffiths said, could be used to predict weather, develop new medicines and vaccines, create new materials and products, and aid in national security and defense.

"Quantum computing is a totally new form of computation that's evolving but which leverages the capabilities of quantum physics and quantum mechanics, which is subatomic particles," Griffiths said in an interview with News Watch. "Basically, it's going to more than exponentially increase the power and speed of computers, and it's going to be able to do things that even all the supercomputers in the world put together today could not solve. And it's going to solve those problems in minutes and hours, rather than decades."

The technology is rapidly evolving but is still a few years away from wider, practical usage, Griffiths said.

The idea with the $6 million investment is to show the federal government and companies like IBM or Honeywell, which are leaders in the quantum field, that the South Dakota university system is a network they can rely on for new research, collaborations and education of future employees in a field expected to create tens of thousands of new high-paying jobs.

Strong support from Gov. Kristi Noem

The $6 million funding proposal originated with the South Dakota Board of Regents, and Gov. Kristi Noem shared her support for a quantum computer center during her annual state budget address in December.

“We have an exciting new opportunity for the jobs of the future,” Noem said. “For too long, our kids were moving out of South Dakota to access exciting tech jobs.”

Noem spoke to the wide range of applications of quantum computers, including cybersecurity, agriculture and health care. She noted that the state can use the funding to establish itself as a leader in the emerging field.