CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATEAReportbytheFASTTRACKACTIONSUBCOMMITTEEONCRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESoftheNATIONALSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGYCOUNCILFebruary2024CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATEAbouttheNationalScienceandTechnologyCouncilTheNationalScienceandTechnologyCouncil(NSTC)istheprincipalmeansbywhichtheExecutiveBranchcoordinatesscienceandtechnologypolicyacrossthediverseentitiesthatmakeuptheFederalresearchanddevelopmententerprise.AprimaryobjectiveoftheNSTCistoensurethatscienceandtechnologypolicydecisionsandprogramsareconsistentwiththePresident'sstatedgoals.TheNSTCpreparesresearchanddevelopmentstrategiesthatarecoordinatedacrossFederalagenciesaimedataccomplishingmultiplenationalgoals.TheworkoftheNSTCisorganizedundercommitteesthatoverseesubcommitteesandworkinggroupsfocusedondifferentaspectsofscienceandtechnology.Moreinformationisavailableat/ostp/nstc.AbouttheOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicyTheOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicy(OSTP)wasestablishedbytheNationalScienceandTechnologyPolicy,Organization,andPrioritiesActof1976toprovidethePresidentandotherswithintheExecutiveOfficeofthePresidentwithadviceonthescientific,engineering,andtechnologicalaspectsoftheeconomy,nationalsecurity,homelandsecurity,health,foreignrelations,theenvironment,andthetechnologicalrecoveryanduseofresources,amongothertopics.OSTPleadsinteragencyscienceandtechnologypolicycoordinationefforts,assiststheOfficeofManagementandBudgetwithanannualreviewandanalysisofFederalresearchanddevelopmentinbudgets,andservesasasourceofscientificandtechnologicalanalysisandjudgmentforthePresidentwithrespecttomajorpolicies,plans,andprogramsoftheFederalGovernment.Moreinformationisavailableat/ostp.AbouttheFastTrackActionSubcommitteeonCriticalandEmergingTechnologiesTheNSTCestablishedthisFastTrackActionSubcommitteein2020toidentifycriticalandemergingtechnologiestoinformnationalsecurity-relatedactivities.Insupportofthiswork,theSubcommitteecoordinatedacrosstheNSTCandtheNationalSecurityCouncil(NSC)toidentifyprioritycriticalandemergingtechnologysubfields,updatednolessthaneverytwoyears.AboutthisDocumentThisdocumentidentifiescriticalandemergingtechnologies.CopyrightInformationThisdocumentisaworkoftheUnitedStatesGovernmentandisinthepublicdomain(see17U.S.C.§105).ItmaybedistributedandcopiedwithacknowledgmenttoOSTP.PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica,2024.CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATENATIONALSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGYCOUNCILChairExecutiveDirectorKeiKoizumi,ActingExecutiveDirector,NationalScienceandTechnologyCouncil,PrincipalDeputyDirectorforPolicy,OSTPAratiPrabhakar,Director,OfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicyFASTTRACKACTIONSUBCOMMITTEEONCRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESCo-ChairsHilaLevy,OfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicyGarrettBerntsen,NationalSecurityCouncil(throughDecember2023)Tantum(Teddy)Collins,NationalSecurityCouncil(fromDecember2023)MembersDepartmentofAgricultureDepartmentofCommerceDepartmentofDefenseNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministrationNationalScienceFoundationNationalSecurityAgencyDepartmentofEnergyNationalSecurityCouncilstaffNationalSpaceCouncilstaffDepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesDepartmentofHomelandSecurityDepartmentoftheInteriorDepartmentofJusticeOfficeoftheDirectorofNationalIntelligenceOfficeofManagementandBudgetDepartmentofStateOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicyDepartmentofTransportation–i–CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATEAbbreviationsandAcronymsAIartificialintelligenceCETNSTCOSTPRFcriticalandemergingtechnology(ies)NationalScienceandTechnologyCouncilOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicyradiofrequency–iii–CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATEOverviewCriticalandemergingtechnologies(CETs)areasubsetofadvancedtechnologiesthatarepotentiallysignificanttoU.S.nationalsecurity.The2022NationalSecurityStrategyidentifiesthreenationalsecurityinterests:protectthesecurityoftheAmericanpeople,expandeconomicprosperityandopportunity,andrealizeanddefendthedemocraticvaluesattheheartoftheAmericanwayoflife.1TheNSTCestablishedthisFastTrackActionSubcommitteein2020toidentifycriticalandemergingtechnologiestoinformnationalsecurity-relatedactivities.ThislistidentifiesCETswiththepotentialtofurthertheseinterestsandbuildsontheOctober2020NationalStrategyforCriticalandEmergingTechnologies,whichcontainsaninitiallistofpriorityCETs.2ThisupdateddocumentexpandsuponthatoriginalCETlistandtheFebruary2022updatebyidentifyingsubfieldsforeachCETwithafocus,wherepossible,oncoretechnologiesthatcontinuetoemergeandmodernize,whileremainingcriticaltoafree,open,secure,andprosperousworld.Whileenablingorsupportingtechnologiesaresometimesreferenced,otherenablingcapabilities,likeamodernized,technicallycapableworkforce,areexcluded.Thoughcertainenablingcapabilitiesarenotexplicitlyincluded,theyremaincriticaltothepromotionandprotectionofallCETs.Thoughnotastrategydocument,thisupdatedCETlistmayinformgovernment-wideandagency-specificeffortsconcerningU.S.technologicalcompetitivenessandnationalsecurity.ThislistmayalsoinformfutureeffortstoprioritizeacrossCETsandtheircomponentsubfields;however,thislistshouldnotbeinterpretedasaprioritylistforeitherpolicydevelopmentorfunding.Instead,thislistshouldbeusedasaresourceto:informfutureeffortsthatpromoteU.S.technologicalleadership;cooperatewithalliesandpartnerstoadvanceandmaintainsharedtechnologicaladvantages;develop,design,govern,anduseCETsthatyieldtangiblebenefitsforsocietyandarealignedwithdemocraticvalues;anddevelopU.S.GovernmentmeasuresthatrespondtothreatsagainstU.S.security.DepartmentsandagenciesmayconsultthisCETlistwhendeveloping,forexample,initiativestoresearchanddeveloptechnologiesthatsupportnationalsecuritymissions,competeforinternationaltalent,andprotectsensitivetechnologyfrommisappropriationandmisuse.TogeneratethisupdatedCETlist,theOfficeofScienceandTechnologyPolicy(OSTP)facilitatedanextensiveinteragencydeliberativeprocessthroughtheNationalScienceandTechnologyCouncil(NSTC)andincoordinationwiththeNationalSecurityCouncil(NSC).TheresponsibleNSTCsubcommitteeincludedsubjectmatterexpertsfrom18departments,agencies,andofficesintheExecutiveOfficeofthePresident,whoidentifiedCETsubfieldsthattheirhomeorganizationsdeterminedmaybecriticaltoU.S.nationalsecurity.Assuch,thisupdatedCETlist,whichwascoordinatedthroughboththeNSTCandtheNSC,reflectsaninteragencyconsensusonupdatestothe2022CETs.1/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf2/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/National-Strategy-for-CET.pdf–1–CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATECriticalandEmergingTechnologiesListThefollowingcriticalandemergingtechnologyareasareofparticularimportancetothenationalsecurityoftheUnitedStates:??????????????????AdvancedComputingAdvancedEngineeringMaterialsAdvancedGasTurbineEngineTechnologiesAdvancedandNetworkedSensingandSignatureManagementAdvancedManufacturingArtificialIntelligenceBiotechnologiesCleanEnergyGenerationandStorageDataPrivacy,DataSecurity,andCybersecurityTechnologiesDirectedEnergyHighlyAutomated,Autonomous,andUncrewedSystems(UxS),andRoboticsHuman-MachineInterfacesHypersonicsIntegratedCommunicationandNetworkingTechnologiesPositioning,Navigation,andTiming(PNT)TechnologiesQuantumInformationandEnablingTechnologiesSemiconductorsandMicroelectronicsSpaceTechnologiesandSystems–2–CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATECriticalandEmergingTechnologySubfieldsEachidentifiedCETareaincludesasetofkeysubfieldsthatdescribeitsscopeinmoredetail.AdvancedComputing????????Advancedsupercomputing,includingforAIapplicationsEdgecomputinganddevicesAdvancedcloudservicesHigh-performancedatastorageanddatacentersAdvancedcomputingarchitecturesAdvancedmodelingandsimulationDataprocessingandanalysistechniquesSpatialcomputingAdvancedEngineeringMaterials???MaterialsbydesignandmaterialgenomicsMaterialswithnovelpropertiestoincludesubstantialimprovementstoexistingpropertiesNovelandemergingtechniquesformaterialpropertycharacterizationandlifecycleassessmentAdvancedGasTurbineEngineTechnologies??Aerospace,maritime,andindustrialdevelopmentandproductiontechnologiesFull-authoritydigitalenginecontrol,hot-sectionmanufacturing,andassociatedtechnologiesAdvancedandNetworkedSensingandSignatureManagement???????Payloads,sensors,andinstrumentsSensorprocessinganddatafusionAdaptiveopticsRemotesensingoftheEarthGeophysicalsensingSignaturemanagementDetectionandcharacterizationofpathogensandofchemical,biological,radiologicalandnuclearweaponsandmaterialsTransportation-sectorsensingSecurity-sectorsensingHealth-sectorsensingEnergy-sectorsensingManufacturing-sectorsensingBuilding-sectorsensingEnvironmental-sectorsensing???????AdvancedManufacturing??AdvancedadditivemanufacturingAdvancedmanufacturingtechnologiesandtechniquesincludingthosesupportingclean,sustainable,andsmartmanufacturing,nanomanufacturing,lightweightmetalmanufacturing,andproductandmaterialrecovery–3–CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATEArtificialIntelligence(AI)??????????MachinelearningDeeplearningReinforcementlearningSensoryperceptionandrecognitionAIassuranceandassessmenttechniquesFoundationmodelsGenerativeAIsystems,multimodalandlargelanguagemodelsSyntheticdataapproachesfortraining,tuning,andtestingPlanning,reasoning,anddecisionmakingTechnologiesforimprovingAIsafety,trust,security,andresponsibleuseBiotechnologies?Novelsyntheticbiologyincludingnucleicacid,genome,epigenome,andproteinsynthesisandengineering,includingdesigntools?Multi-omicsandotherbiometrology,bioinformatics,computationalbiology,predictivemodeling,andanalyticaltoolsforfunctionalphenotypesEngineeringofsub-cellular,multicellular,andmulti-scalesystemsCell-freesystemsandtechnologiesEngineeringofviralandviraldeliverysystemsBiotic/abioticinterfaces?????BiomanufacturingandbioprocessingtechnologiesCleanEnergyGenerationandStorage??????????RenewablegenerationRenewableandsustainablechemistries,fuels,andfeedstocksNuclearenergysystemsFusionenergyEnergystorageElectricandhybridenginesBatteriesGridintegrationtechnologiesEnergy-efficiencytechnologiesCarbonmanagementtechnologiesDataPrivacy,DataSecurity,andCybersecurityTechnologies??????????DistributedledgertechnologiesDigitalassetsDigitalpaymenttechnologiesDigitalidentitytechnologies,biometrics,andassociatedinfrastructureCommunicationsandnetworksecurityPrivacy-enhancingtechnologiesTechnologiesfordatafusionandimprovingdatainteroperability,privacy,andsecurityDistributedconfidentialcomputingComputingsupplychainsecuritySecurityandprivacytechnologiesinaugmentedreality/virtualreality–4–CRITICALANDEMERGINGTECHNOLOGIESLISTUPDATEDirectedEnergy???LasersHigh-powermicrowavesParticlebeamsHighlyAutomated,Autonomous,andUncrewedSystems(UxS),andRobotics??????SurfaceAirMaritimeSpaceSupportingdigitalinfrastructure,includingHighDefinition(HD)mapsAutonomouscommandandcontrolHuman-MachineInterfaces????AugmentedrealityVirtualrealityHuman-machineteamingNeurotechnologiesHypersonics?????PropulsionAerodynamicsandcontrolMaterials,structures,andmanufacturingDetection,tracking,characterization,anddefenseTestingIntegratedCommunicationandNetworkingTechnologies????????????Radio-frequency(RF)andmixed-signalcircuits,antennas,filters,andcomponentsSpectrummanagementandsensingtechnologiesFuturegenerationwirelessnetworksOpticallinksandfibertechnologiesTerrestrial/underseacablesSatellite-basedandstratosphericcommunicationsDelay-tolerantnetworkingMeshnetworks/infrastructureindependentcommunicationtechnologiesSoftware-definednetworkingandradiosModerndataexchangetechniquesAdaptivenetworkcontrolsResilientandadaptivewaveformsPositioning,Navigation,andTiming(PNT)Technologies???DiversifiedPNT-enablingtechnologiesforusersandsystemsinairborne,space-based,terrestrial,subterranean,andunderwatersettingsInterference,jamming,andspoofingdetectiontechnologies,algorithms,analytics,andnetworkedmonitoringsystemsDisruption/denial-resistingandhardeningtechnologies–5–CRITICALANDEM