Quantum Technology Quality Management System Framework
Quality Management System for Quantum Technology
Quantum Technology Quality Management System guides responsible innovation and development in the fast-growing field of quantum technology. The most promising technique for regulating quantum technologies in their early stages is this framework, sponsored by a global community of legal and policy experts and prioritising voluntary international norms over superfluous government regulation.
Standards-First Approach Required
Computing, telecommunications, sensing, metrology, and other quantum technologies are commercialising swiftly. This technology may impact national security, economic upheaval, medicinal discovery, and code-breaking. Despite rapid technological innovation, policy formation has delayed, posing risk management and governance challenges.
Traditional regulatory regimes may be too slow, restrictive, or fragmented to address global, fluid quantum innovation. Standards are more adaptive, develop faster, and are applicable across borders. The researchers said standards are voluntary, consensus-based systems. Without legal restrictions, they set technical and quality standards to guide innovation and international cooperation. A “standards-first” strategy allows governance structures to quickly adapt to technological advances, reward compliance rather than requirements, and reconcile conflicting global perspectives.
QT-QMS main parts and scope
The proposed Quantum Technology Quality Management System should be thorough and built by ISO/IEC. Many factors are considered in its design, including:
Examples of technological standards include encryption protocol definitions and quantum computing terminologies.
QMS frameworks control technology development, maintenance, and auditing.
Implications for ethics, law, society, and policy Ethical, Legal, Social, and Policy Implications. QT-QMS would combine these critical variables throughout the technology lifecycle, from conception to testing, deployment, and risk management.
The study distinguishes technical standards and QMS as the framework. Early on, most challenges are technical rather than related to real-world applications, hence the goal is to create a quantum industry template.
International standards organisations design quantum governance systems. The IEEE, IEC, and ISO are key stakeholders in this process. These groups are creating risk management, security, interoperability, and quantum language frameworks.
JTC3 studies concern quantum resource simulation, machine learning datasets, and energy efficiency in quantum computing. Like the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is finalising post-quantum encryption standards to withstand quantum computer attacks, standards can address security vulnerabilities without legislative delays.
Integration with Standards
International standards are used in the planned QT-QMS to enable an integrated and cohesive system. These standards could be integrated into QT-QMS:
Information-security ISO 27001.
Risk management ISO 27005
AI governance ISO 42001.
The operational framework and common language of an integrated system are standards, linking innovation to responsibility and trust. Standards by reference help regulators with third-party certification, future compliance, and audit standardisation across jurisdictions.
Model QT-QMS benefits
This “standards-first” approach to Quantum Technology Quality Management System has several advantages:
In quantum research, standards reduce risk and provide common technical vocabulary, testing methods, interoperability guidelines, and benchmarks, fostering innovation and global cooperation. They coordinate, prevent fragmentation, and help governments, corporations, and researchers achieve goals.
This is significant in a field where geopolitical competition may hinder consistent regulation since the standards process may sidestep these disputes and focus on agreement.
Restrictions and Future Regulation
For all their benefits, experts warn that standards are not a cure-all. Powerful players may affect technological standard-setting, causing anti-competitive behaviour or lock-in. Protections for legitimacy, inclusion, and fair participation in international standards procedures may reflect geopolitical disputes.
Regulation, especially for “red lines” for high-risk applications like military or quantum-enhanced CCTV, will be needed, the authors admit. Governance decisions by the Quantum Technology Quality Management System will affect how these revolutionary technologies progress and impact society.
