Contributions to the standardisation of Quantum Technology
Updated on 13 june 2024
Stakeholders
CEN-CENELEC JTC22, is an official body within CEN-CENELEC
for producing standards on quantum technology.
It started in March 2023, as the follow up of FGQT, and is subdevided into several working groups.
WG1 is a strategic working group for steering JTC22.
WG2 is dedicated to Quantum Metrology,
WG3 is dedicated to Quantum Computing, and
WG4 is dedicated to Quantum Communications.
CEN-CENELEC FGQT,
or Focus Group Quantum Technology, was a working group operating within CEN-CENELEC and a predecessor of JTC22.
It started in june 2020, with many European Quantum experts, to prepare for future standardisation of Quantum Technology.
FGQT is not producing a standard, but has produced a so-called Roadmap and a Use cases document.
That roadmap document has identify the needs for future standardisation, raises ideas on how to subdivide the broad area of Quantum Technology into smaller chuncks,
and has resulted in the founding of CEN-CENELEC JTC22 standardisation body.
NEN is the Dutch Standardisation Organisation. Many (start-up) vendors from the Netherlands are working together within NEN to pre-discuss strategies and contributions
to CEN-CENELEC.
Delft Circuits is a rapid growing start-up company in the Netherlands, creating hardware for Quantum Engineers.
The focus is on products related to the Control Highway of a quantum computer.
Since 2019 I am working as Scientific Advisor within Delft Circuits, and also very active in the standardisation of Quantum Technology.
Standardisation
Since Quantum Technology is a rather new area, and its standardisation has never done before, the creation of a consensus
view on how to do that has appeared to be quite challenging. Standardisation started within CEN-CENELEC by founding FGQT, and the biggest achievements within FGQT has been:
reaching consensus on a common (rough) structure on quantum computing,
a scientific paper (Towards European Standards for Quantum Technologies) presenting that view, and published in a special issue of EPJ Quantum Technology.
a Roadmap document, offering an entire view on the standardisation of Quantum Technology as a whole, and a state of the art.
This all resulted in the founding of JTC22, a Joined Technical Committee, dedicated to produce offical standards on Quntum Technology as a whole.
The aim of JTC/WG3 is to create a set of standards enabling the concept of a modular quantum computer, based on a mature supply chain of components and building blocks from which a system integrator can build a quantum computer.
Today there is already a whole range of small (start-up) and bigger vendors,
producing modules for quantum computers.
The vision is that when these product are going to comply with future standards, research teams and vendors all over the world can buy hardware and software modules a variety of vendors
from which they can assemble a complete quantum computer.
Since JTC22 was founded, my focus has concentrated on the creation of two standards:
a "layer model for quantum computing", and
one on "Cryogenic Solid State Quantum Computing".
I am acting as project leader within JTC22/WG3 on these two work items to create and publish them both.
The list of contributions to FGQT and JTC22 that are written and/or co-signed by me are summarized below.
Contributions about the "Modular Quantum Computer"
Contributions to FGQT within CEN-CENELEC
Creating a structure for future standardizing Quantum Technology (in FGQT)