The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected a multidisciplinary team led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to receive $4 million in funding. Awarded through the NSF’s National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) initiative, the grant will support a new project titled FTL: Accelerating Fault-Tolerant Quantum Logic. The project’s central objective is to design a fault-tolerant quantum computer capable of deploying 60 logical (error-protected) qubits, establishing a blueprint for digital quantum simulations that exceed the capabilities of current classical supercomputers.
Addressing Environmental Noise Through Logical Qubit Design
Contemporary quantum processing units (QPUs) remain strictly limited by noise and environmental decoherence. Minimal thermal fluctuations or minor material defects disrupt qubit superposition, introducing calculation errors that compound rapidly over long coherence times. While individual physical qubits are inherently fragile, fault-tolerant architectures address this vulnerability by grouping multiple physical qubits into a single logical qubit. This redundant encoding allows quantum error correction (QEC) protocols to detect, track, and mitigate errors in real time without destroying the underlying quantum state.
QCCD Trapped-Ion Strategy and Full-Stack Codesign
The FTL project bases its hardware design on a trapped-ion Quantum Charge-Coupled Device (QCCD) architecture. In a QCCD system, individual charged atomic ions are dynamically shuttled across a specialized chip-based trap. This approach offers strong, all-to-all connectivity and high gate fidelities by bringing target pairs of ions together for entangling operations while isolating non-interacting qubits.
To make 60 logical qubits achievable within realistic hardware boundaries, the project focuses heavily on full-stack codesign. Led by principal investigator Eric Hudson alongside co-leaders Jens Palsberg and Wesley Campbell, the consortium unites expertise spanning atomic physics, chip fabrication, compilation, control electronics, and quantum algorithm design. By co-optimizing the physical trap layout alongside software compilers and QEC protocols, the team aims to significantly reduce the physical-to-logical qubit overhead traditionally required for error mitigation.
Target Applications and Strategic Partnerships
The primary application target for the proposed system is digital quantum simulation. Reliable, fault-tolerant simulation of complex quantum many-body systems is widely considered one of the earliest paths to practical quantum advantage, offering potential breakthroughs in materials science, molecular chemistry, drug discovery, and fundamental physics.
The FTL project brings together a broad coalition of academic, national laboratory, and commercial partners:
- Academic Institutions: UCLA, UC Berkeley, Cornell University, University of Maryland, and UC Santa Barbara.
- Research & Commercial Partners: Georgia Tech Research Institute, SRI International, Quantinuum, Nvidia, Daylight Solutions, and IonQ.
By aligning physical sciences and computer engineering across these organizations, the project aims to establish an open academic framework for scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing while expanding national access to next-generation quantum testbeds.
For more information, visit the press announcement posted on the UCLA Newsroom site here.
August 8, 2026
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