Edward Conard

Top Ten New York Times Bestselling Author

  • “Unintended Consequences offers deep and well-argued analyses on almost every issue.” - The New York Times
  • “Unintended Consequences is far smarter and more thought-provoking than most economics written for the general public” - Greg Mankiw, Harvard University, Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
  • “Unintended Consequences represents the most cogent and persuasive analysis of the Financial Crisis to date.” - Andrei Shleifer, 1999 John Bates Clark Medal Winner
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “Unintended Consequences should be read by anyone who takes for granted the superiority of progressive taxation and has not thought carefully about the trade-offs involved.” - The New Republic
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
  • “A full-throated defense of economic dynamism.” - The Wall Street Journal
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
  • “…a fresh argument for the productive value of inequality.” - David Autor, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Upside of Inequality Oxford Unintended Consequences

AI Summary. Many quantum computers depend on dilution refrigerators, produced by a few small firms in the US, Britain and Finland, and on critical minerals such as niobium, concentrated in Brazil, and tantalum, mined in Africa and mostly processed in China. China has announced mass production of a domestic dilution refrigerator and has been buying niobium mines.

Chris Miller and Josh Zoffer Washington Post
Date Posted:

Chris Miller and Josh Zoffer caution that, depending on which quantum technologies mature, the US is facing several potential “chokepoints” in terms of exotic materials and processing needed to scale the technology.

Do supply chains for equipment and minerals constrain quantum computing leadership?

Core argument: Dilution refrigerators needed to cool many quantum computers are produced largely by a few small companies in the U.S., Britain and Finland, while Chinese media announced mass production of a homegrown dilution refrigerator.

Most quantum systems require intense cooling. Today, the dilution refrigerators that are needed to cool many types of quantum computers are largely produced by a few small companies in the U.S., Britain and Finland. Chinese media recently announced mass production of a homegrown dilution refrigerator. Beijing is not leaving this to chance. Quantum computing will require greater use of certain exotic materials. The risks of relying on China for rare earths and critical minerals, many of which are required for quantum systems, have become clear. Depending on which specific quantum technologies mature, we may need more of the critical mineral niobium, which today is found almost exclusively in Brazil. China’s already begun buying up niobium mines. Tantalum, another important material for some quantum systems, is largely produced in Nigeria, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and mostly processed in China. Quantum computing may still sound like science fiction, but the scale-up phase is approaching. The race is now about supply chains as much as science and engineering.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Dilution refrigerators needed to cool many quantum computers are produced largely by a few small companies in the U.S., Britain and Finland, while Chinese media announced mass production of a homegrown dilution refrigerator.
  2. Niobium, a critical mineral that some maturing quantum technologies would require in greater quantities, is found almost exclusively in Brazil, and China has begun buying up niobium mines.
  3. Tantalum, important for some quantum systems, is largely produced in Nigeria, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and mostly processed in China.

Related Articles:

  • Why China Keeps Winning The Trade War — Governments seeking supply-chain leverage face limited visibility into their own supply chains, and China's rare earth licensing requirements for multinationals may be partly intended to give Beijing that visibility and allow more precise targeting of future restrictions. Effective measures must impose asymmetric costs, and keeping foreign manufacturers dependent on drip-fed supply is central to Beijing's strategy.
  • Google Unveils Quantum Computing Breakthrough on Willow Chip — Google says its "Quantum Echoes" algorithm, run on its Willow quantum chip and detailed in a paper in Nature, is verifiable on other quantum computers and ran 13,000x faster than the world's best classical supercomputer. Google says the advance points to useful quantum applications in medicine and materials science within five years.
  • IBM Has a Roadmap to a ‘Fault-Tolerant’ Quantum Computer by 2029 — IBM has laid out a roadmap for building a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029, citing advances in reducing errors in quantum bits and a technique for identifying and correcting errors in real time using conventional computing. Amazon and Google are also pursuing quantum error correction with dedicated chips.
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