Catherine Cortez Mastro Says 'U.S. Must Dominate' And Commercialize 'Quantum Computing'

4/11/2025

During Thursday's Senate Energy Committee hearing, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) asked Under Secretary of Energy nominee Dr. Dario Gil how the United States can achieve dominance in quantum computing.

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Transcript

00:00Yes, I did notice baby dog got five minutes as well. I appreciate that.

00:05Let me say

00:07Congratulations on your nominations. Welcome to your family. What an incredible day. So appreciate your willingness to serve. Thank you for that.

00:16Mr. Wells, let me start with you. Four years ago this body and specifically this committee came together in a bipartisan way

00:24To pass legislation that helps create jobs it to solidify our energy sector and strengthen our states tribes and local communities

00:33I have seen I think my colleagues have all seen the value of these investments in critical sectors for national securities

00:40I know in my state. I've seen it in the battery manufacturing and critical mineral extraction that we are focused on in Nevada

00:49But now there's concerns that I see in public hearing about Elon Musk and Doge the new leadership at energy

00:57What is happening? I'm hearing from my state

00:59Some of the funding that we fought for in a bipartisan way is not getting to where it needs to go for these energy projects

01:06So if confirmed

01:08What is your plan to implement the bipartisan infrastructure and energy programs that were actually enacted by Congress as part of a bipartisan infrastructure law?

01:17Thank you senator

01:20If confirmed

01:22I've obviously not in the building, so I don't know. I've just read the same reports. I guess in the press

01:26I I think

01:28You know the president ran on on being an efficient

01:31Running government more efficiently and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. I think

01:36Should I be confirmed? I would I would seek to get prioritized being briefed on this. This is obviously

01:41And another program offices on the spending

01:44The situation there

01:46And making sure that we deploy those resources in a way that's

01:51Is in the best stewardship of American taxpayer dollars while also executing at the same time

01:55Which I believe we can do the department's mission and bringing these new projects online and bringing this electricity and power and energy back

02:03To unleash American energy dominance and fulfill the president's priorities

02:06So do you commit to upholding the implementation of awards that were funded or contractually obligated in recent years under the bipartisan infrastructure law?

02:15Thank you senator. I

02:16Am fully committed first and foremost to following the law

02:20So should I be confirmed?

02:22I would prioritize

02:24Understanding the different projects and the details and the specifics and working with you and this this committee

02:31Um to alleviate any concerns or address any questions that you may have. Thank you. Dr. Gill your written testimony noted that the u.s.

02:38Must dominate in quantum computing. I agree with you

02:42In order to uncover profound scientific economic and national security implications in your professional opinion

02:48How can the u.s. further solidify itself in both the discovery and commercialization of new technologies?

02:55Uh senator thank you so much uh for for the question

03:00Um we have to succeed on that effort so let me touch on the quantum computing effort for for example

03:08Um this is the most extraordinary time and the most exciting time in computing probably since the 1940s

03:15Um you know during that decade the transistor was invented uh the first programmable computers were invented

03:21Uh seminal advances in the theory of information uh processing were developed and we've witnessed the implication of that decade for decades to come

03:30We're in a similar moment right now

03:33And what it requires is that not only we support the basic science and research in all of those fields

03:38But that we seek and we demand of ourselves the objective of building and leading a capability for the nation that we didn't have before

03:47And that's what I was alluding in my testimony of it is time to build a quantum centric supercomputer

03:53It is time to elevate the capability of ai to advance scientific discovery and do problem solving in ways we couldn't do

04:01It is time now infusion to shave off decades of development time cycles

04:06And if we do all of that together as a team

04:09If we achieve that objective

04:11I think we will have a portfolio of technologies in the nation that would serve us

04:17For decades to come and frankly even the whole world our allies and our partners on that

04:23On the downside if we do not succeed on those and we have

04:27Rival nations like china get ahead of us ahead of ourselves on that

04:31The consequences will be terrible

04:34So we have no choice but to succeed and you have my full commitment to work with all of you to make sure we do so

04:39Thank you. I will submit the rest of my questions for the record again. Congratulations on your nominations

Catherine Cortez Mastro Says 'U.S. Must Dominate' And Commercialize 'Quantum Computing'

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