SD Senate Committee approves bill providing funding for Quantum Computing

January 25, 2024

PIERRE, S.D.–Quantum computing could be the next big technology that South Dakota’s research universities tackle under a bill that received a favorable recommendation from a Senate committee this morning.

Quantum computing, according to Dakota State President Jose Marie Griffiths, is a new field of science and technology that draws on physical science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering.

One of the key applications is in cybersecurity. Griffiths and other proponents say that “bad actors” could use quantum computing to break current encryption methods now used to protect governmental and corporate secrets and information.

Senate Bill 45 would appropriate a little over $6 million to establish a virtualCenter for Quantum Information Science and Technology at Dakota State, the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University, and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The funds would be used to hire faculty and graduate students and to get time on “simulators” that mimic quantum computing.

The measure passed the Senate Education Committee on a 6 to 0 vote on to the Joint Appropriations Committee for further consideration.