The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) participated in a summit at the White House last week where representatives of government agencies, industry and standards development organizations discussed the U.S. Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). This strategy promotes technologically sound standards that help American industry compete internationally on a level playing field and is intended to support and complement existing private sector-led standards activities.

In addition, the Biden-Harris administration has released the USG NSSCET Implementation Roadmap, which includes recommendations and actions for implementing the strategy, along with a fact sheet about the roadmap.

“This plan is a call to action,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio. “It is time for all of us — the U.S. government, our partners and allies, the private sector, academia, professional societies and civil society organizations — to work together to sustain our proven, voluntary, consensus-driven, private sector-led standards system. In short, the release of the Implementation Roadmap is the start of our efforts, not the end.”

The USG NSSCET, released in May 2023, focuses on critical and emerging technologies (CETs), including communication and networking technologies, quantum information technologies, semiconductors and microelectronics, artificial intelligence, biotechnologies and clean energy technologies, among others.