Race for the first fault-tolerant quantum computer: US application deadline closes
Companies have until 19 October to apply for the US Department of Energy's Quantum Genesis competition. The goal: at least 100 logical qubits, with up to $215 million.
Archive image · Photo: G. Edward Johnson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Applications for the US Department of Energy's Quantum Genesis Q Competition close on 19 October. The aim is to demonstrate the first fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computers. They must have at least 100 logical qubits and support hundreds of millions of fault-tolerant operations. The competition is open to private companies.
Up to $215 million is planned, with outyear funding subject to congressional appropriations. Phase I offers fixed awards of up to $1.5 million per participant for early milestones. In Phase II, a $100 million pool is shared by those demonstrating a system with at least 100 logical qubits; two $50 million bonus pools reward 150 and 200 logical qubits.
In parallel, the department is providing $45 million for national laboratories to build tools that validate each layer of the quantum computing stack. Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil speaks of "building a new era of computational power for the nation".