The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has initiated a new program called Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) to determine whether any underexplored and revolutionary approaches to quantum computing are capable of achieving utility-scale operation much faster than conventional predictions. The program is anticipated to be a five year program consisting of four phases. DARPA first posted a funding opportunity announcement seeking proposals for this program in February 2022. The goal will be to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer that can ultimately provide utility-scale quantum computing. They have selected PsiQuantum with their photonic based approach, Atom Computing with their neutral atom based approach, and Microsoft with their topological qubit approach to participate in this program. The first phase will be to have each company develop a design concept with subsequent phases to design, construct, and test system based upon the design concept to see if they can meet the utility-scale requirements. Additional information about the selection of these three companies is available in press releases from DARPA here, from PsiQuantum here, from Atom Computing here, and from Microsoft here.
January 31, 2023