Masoud Agah, Founder and Executive Director of the Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST), provided the opening keynote as part of the "The Chips Acts and Beyond" special program during Quantum World Congress 2024.

Prof. Masoud Agah is the architect and the Founding and Executive Director of the Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST), a statewide initiative to revolutionize the semiconductor ecosystem in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (SUT), Iran, in 1996 and 1998, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2005. He joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in August 2005, where he is currently the Virginia Microelectronics Consortium (VMEC) Professor of Engineering in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He established the VT MEMS Laboratory in 2005 and has focused his research on the environmental, biomedical, and security applications of MEMS and microfluidics. Dr. Agah, a senior IEEE member, received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2008 for his research on micro gas chromatography, the Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering Outstanding New Assistant Professor Award in 2009, the Graduate School's Outstanding Dissertation Advisor Award in 2010, the College of Engineering's Faculty Fellow Award in 2011, and the Start-up Builder Award in 2023.

This special high-level working session at QWC24 highlighted national visions and initiatives that aim to scale manufacturing, strengthen global supply chains, and accelerate the critical sectors that include quantum and quantum-adjacent industries. The session with feature talks by global leaders from USA, UK, EU and Japan, perspectives from key industry cooperations including IBM, NVIDIA, and DIRAQ, followed by breakouts with the attendees.

The conversation is tailored for industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers seeking to understand the latest thinking across the world and exchange ideas for scalable and secure commercialization as we seek to work at the convergence of quantum with adjacent fields and other cutting-edge technologies. Prepare to engage in deep discussions, build strategic partnerships, and learn how to navigate advancements in the global marketplace.

The session covered: the transformative opportunities and regulatory implications of national investments such as the US CHIPS and Science Act and the EU Chips Act; optimizing and securing supply chains in quantum and adjacent technologies; and strengthening cross-border partnerships.

To learn more about Quantum World Congress, please visit quantumworldcongress.com