Insider Brief
- D-Wave has created a new business unit to drive adoption of its quantum technologies within the U.S. government.
- The unit will be led by Jack Sears Jr., who will oversee government-focused go-to-market, application development, and federal-compliant product needs.
- The move follows growing demand from U.S. defense leadership and aligns with D-Wave’s deployment of its Advantage2 system for mission-critical government use.
PRESS RELEASE — D-Wave Quantum Inc — A leader in quantum computing systems, software, and services and the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, announced today that it has formed a new business unit dedicated to driving the adoption of its quantum computing products and services with the U.S. government. Led by seasoned government and public sector business executive Jack Sears Jr., the newly formed unit will support D-Wave’s enterprise-wide U.S. government-related initiatives.
Calls for quantum applications have come from several members of the U.S. Department of War’s leadership, including Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering, Emil Michael, who added quantum technologies as a critical technology of focus. In addition, Secretary of the Army, Daniel Driscoll, and the Acting Chief Technology officer of the Navy, Justin Fanelli, have each spoken about the need to develop quantum applications to address the logistics and transportation needs of our service branches.
To address this growing market opportunity, Sears will join D-Wave’s executive team and serve as the business unit’s vice president of U.S. government solutions. In his role, Sears will oversee government-related go-to-market efforts and application development as well as the unique product development and customer support necessary for secure systems that meet federal requirements. He brings more than 25 years of experience in developing and executing organizational growth strategies for companies serving the federal government in the defense and aerospace industries. His background includes full P&L responsibility, proposal development, price-to-win modeling, and U.S. federal acquisition compliance.
“The call to use quantum technologies to address our nation’s interests is increasing, as the U.S. government faces complex challenges that require more powerful and agile problem-solving resources to protect our nation,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. “By formalizing a U.S. government-focused business unit under Jack’s leadership, we aim to facilitate the rapid development of quantum applications that address national security, defense, and infrastructure challenges.”
In support of the Company’s government business, D-Wave recently announced that its Advantage2TM quantum computer is now operational at the Alabama headquarters of Davidson Technologies, Inc., a mission-driven technology company supporting U.S. Department of War and commercial aerospace customers. The system is expected to address mission-critical U.S. government problems and eventually run sensitive applications.
“D-Wave is uniquely positioned to address many of the challenges facing our government,” said Sears. “With D-Wave’s quantum technology capable of solving real-world problems today and a quantum computing system operational in Alabama that is expected to eventually handle sensitive applications, now is the time to aggressively push quantum adoption in service of national security and defense.”
Sears has held senior government-focused leadership roles, including chief growth officer at Precise Systems, a professional services company supporting U.S. Department of Defense programs, where he oversaw all business development, capture, and proposal functions. Prior to Precise, Jack held executive roles at Aquia Inc., Parsons Corporation, and Epsilon Systems, where he directed strategic pursuits across defense and intelligence community clients. He has managed sales / project pipelines exceeding $3 billion, led M&A integration efforts, and prepared companies for rigorous federal contracting and compliance environments.
