Quantum Computing Emerges as Strategic Lever to Cut U.S. Reliance on Chinese Rare Earths, Pasqal CEO Says

Pasqal CEO Wasiq Bokhari argues that quantum computing could provide the United States and its allies a critical lever to reduce dependence on China for rare earth elements. The technology company is betting that the emerging capability can significantly boost the efficiency of extracting and processing limited domestic supplies.

Pasqal has partnered with USA Rare Earth and Riven Systems to investigate how quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and rapid chemical testing might enhance the separation and processing of these critical minerals. The objective, Bokhari told FOX Business, is to maximize the yield of usable rare earth material from resources already available outside China.

China maintains dominant control over the global rare earth supply and processing chain, while the U.S. and its allies are racing to develop alternative sources for materials essential to magnets, electronics, defense systems, and advanced manufacturing.

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, it becomes even more important to be more efficient at finding that element,” Bokhari said.

Because rare earth elements are typically intermingled with other minerals rather than found in isolation, chemically separating them is a complex undertaking.

Bokhari explained that quantum computing can model the molecules and compounds hosting rare earths at a deeper level, potentially helping researchers pinpoint properties that can be exploited for more efficient separation.

“We can create models of the molecules or compounds where these rare earth elements occur… identify their specific properties that we can exploit to then separate them more effectively from other things that are not so rare,” he said.

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)

USA Rare Earth contributes rare earth resources and processing expertise to the collaboration, while Riven Systems specializes in rapid chemical experimentation and testing.

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

The ramifications extend well beyond mines and processing facilities, he noted, because rare earths underpin critical technologies ranging from defense systems to advanced electronics.

“There are these elements, these specific materials, and currently we have to buy them from China. Now suppose we get into a sensitive situation where we still need those materials, but someone else has control over them,” he said. “They can constrict supply, which means we will not have access to those materials for our defense-related or non-defense-related applications.”

“During the COVID era, we saw what a collapse of a supply chain could do globally. This is even more important because these are highly leveraged supply chains feeding into very high-value components.”

China controls significant portions of the global rare-earth supply and processing chain, while the U.S. and its allies are working to develop alternative sources. (Bert van Dijk/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Even relatively small improvements at individual stages of the separation process could compound into significantly greater yields, Bokhari said.

“For every ton of rock that I put in, I want to get certain amounts of rare earth elements. And if I can improve that by a factor of two, factor of three, factor of 10, that matters a lot.”

While classical computers excel at many tasks, Bokhari said quantum systems offer advantages in modeling materials, chemicals, and molecules, or in searching through vast numbers of possible solutions.

He compared the current state of quantum computing to artificial intelligence before ChatGPT and other generative AI tools brought the technology into the mainstream.

Rare-earth elements are used in technologies ranging from advanced electronics and manufacturing to U.S. defense systems. (iStock)

“It was working under the radar for the longest time,” he explained. “And then suddenly, there’s this aha moment: Oh, this has something that I can relate to.”

“I would say as a comparison, quantum computing is only a few years behind,” he added. “I think we will see, in terms of the kind of impact we can generate from quantum computing, it is the same size of impact that you will see from Gen AI. We’re just a few years behind.”

Bokhari pushed back on the perception that practical quantum computing remains the stuff of science fiction.

“Please don’t think of quantum computing as something that might be in the future. For Pasqal, it is here today,” Bokhari said. “In the end, it’s solving real business problems today.”

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