Department of Energy Announces $60.7 Million to Advance Quantum Computing and Networking

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $60.7 million in funding to advance the development of quantum computing and networking.

“We are on the threshold of a new era in Quantum Information Science and quantum computing and networking, with potentially great promise for science and society,” said Under Secretary of Science Paul Dabbar. “These projects will help ensure U.S. leadership in these important new areas of science and technology.”

Funding of $47 million will be provided for three five-year projects aimed at accelerating progress in quantum computing.  Projects will focus on the development of algorithms as well as the creation of a suite of traditional software tools and techniques— including programming languages, compilers, and debugging approaches—specifically designed for quantum computing. 

Funding of $13.7 million will be provided for five four-year projects aimed at developing wide-area quantum networks, with the goal of greatly boosting the range of quantum-based communications.  The goal is to develop long-distance quantum communication using existing fiber optic connections.  New science and technology, such as quantum repeaters, will be needed to extend the current very limited range of such quantum networks. 

All projects are multi-institutional partnerships and involve a total of nine DOE laboratories, ten universities, and one non-profit.

Fiscal Year 2019 funding for the two initiatives totals $15 million, with outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations.

Projects were selected by competitive peer review under two separate funding announcements sponsored by the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research within the Department’s Office of Science.

Lists of the projects can be found here under the heading, “What’s New.”