Following a comprehensive technical analysis and validation, The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Microsoft and PsiQuantum for the Validation and Co-Design stage of the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program, part of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). This initiative aims to determine if a utility-scale quantum computer can be built faster than current predictions, achieving cost-effective operation by 2033.
The US2QC program, originally announced in January 2023, was defined to progress in three stages. PsiQuantum and Microsoft have made it through the first two stages and are now entering the final stage. See our previous articles about US2QC here and here.
In July 2024, DARPA announced a separate but related program called the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) which expands upon US2QC. Microsoft and PsiQuantum were in the second phase of US2QC when QBI was introduced. The final phase of US2QC aligns with QBI’s goal of validating and co-designing an industrially useful quantum computer.
DARPA’s evaluation team, consisting of over 50 experts, has worked with Microsoft and PsiQuantum since early 2023, to perform a rigorous assessment of the company’s quantum computing approaches with an eye towards scalability, reliability, and suitability for practical applications. Microsoft is developing a compact superconducting topological qubit architecture, while PsiQuantum uses silicon-based photonics for a lattice-like photonic qubit system.
For more about this final phase selection and the US2QC program in general, you can view a news release from DARPA here, a press release provided by PsiQuantum here, and a summary page describing the program posted on DARPA’s website here.
February 6, 2025
Leave A Comment