Quantum computing could help cut US reliance on China rare earths

Quantum computing could give the U.S. and its allies a new tool in their effort to reduce reliance on China for critical rare-earth elements, with one technology company betting the emerging technology can make extracting and processing limited Western supplies more efficient.

Pasqal is partnering with USA Rare Earth and Riven Systems to explore how quantum computing, artificial intelligence and rapid chemical testing can improve the separation and processing of rare earth elements.

Pasqal CEO Wasiq Bokhari told FOX Business the goal is essentially to get more usable rare earth material out of the resources already available outside China.

China, Bokhari explained, has significant control over global rare-earth supply and processing, while the U.S. and its allies are seeking to develop alternative supply chains for materials used in magnets, electronics, defense systems and advanced manufacturing.

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Pasqal is partnering with USA Rare Earth and Riven Systems to explore how quantum computing, artificial intelligence and chemical testing could improve rare-earth separation and processing. (Victor Moriyama/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“When we have smaller reserves, then it becomes even more important to be more efficient at finding that element,” he said.

Because rare-earth elements generally aren’t sitting underground by themselves and are mixed with other minerals, chemically separating them can be a complicated process.

Bokhari said quantum computing can model the molecules and compounds containing rare earths at a deeper level, potentially helping researchers identify properties that can be exploited to separate the valuable material more efficiently.

“What we can do is we can create models of the molecules or the compounds that these rare earth elements occur in … (and) be able to identify their specific properties that we can exploit to then separate them more effectively from other things that are not so rare,” he said.

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Pasqal CEO Wasiq Bokhari told FOX Business that quantum computing could help make the extraction and processing of limited rare-earth supplies more efficient. (FOX Business / Fox News)

Pasqal is partnering with USA Rare Earth, which brings rare-earth resources and processing expertise to the project, and Riven Systems, which specializes in rapid chemical experimentation and testing.

Bokhari said the effort highlights how the U.S. and its allies can combine advanced technologies to reduce their dependence on foreign-controlled critical supply chains.

The implications could extend well beyond mines and processing facilities, Bokhari…