Insider Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Energy announced $65 million in funding for 10 quantum computing projects, focusing on software, control systems, and algorithmic advancements.
- This investment supports the development of end-to-end software toolchains, quantum algorithms with error resilience, and a software ecosystem designed for modularity, interoperability, specialization, and performance.
- The funding will be distributed over five years, with $14 million allocated for Fiscal Year 2024, and further funding dependent on congressional appropriations.
PRESS RELEASE — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $65 million in funding in quantum computing for 10 projects, comprising a total of 38 separate awards.
Quantum computing may revolutionize our ability to solve problems that are hard to address with even today’s largest supercomputers. The promise of quantum is deploying new ways to process information that can overcome fundamental limits faced by classic computing technologies. The goal is to more quickly and efficiently solve large, complex problems in modern science.
“With these awards we are equipping scientists with computational tools that will open new frontiers of scientific discovery,” said Ceren Susut, DOE Associate Director of Science for Advanced Scientific Computing Research. “Quantum computers may ultimately revolutionize many fields by solving problems that are currently out of reach.”
This particular investment targets software, control systems, and algorithmic advancements that will demonstrate quantum computing’s utility for scientific research problems in DOE’s mission space by improving all levels of the software stack.
Recognizing the great potential of Quantum Information Science (QIS), and also aware of the growing international competition in this promising new area of science and technology, Congress passed the National Quantum Initiative Act, which became law in December 2018.
The DOE Office of Science (SC) is an integral partner in the National Quantum Initiative and has launched a range of research programs in QIS. Research projects range from single investigators within specific disciplines to large integrated centers that span SC. To learn more about these endeavors, visit the National QIS Research Centers.
This investment targets end-to-end software toolchains to program and control quantum systems at scale, quantum algorithms delivering quantum advantage and resilience through error detection, prevention, protection, mitigation, and correction. These are key components for the development of a software ecosystem that must be ready to account for modularity and interoperability on one side, and for specialization and performance on the other.
Total funding is $65 million for 38 projects lasting up to five years, with $14 million in Fiscal Year 2024 dollars and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. The list of projects and more information can be found on the DOE SC Advanced Scientific Computing Research program homepage.
Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.
