DARPA Adds 4 Companies to Quantum Benchmarking Initiative’s Final Stage

• DARPA has advanced four more companies to QBI Stage C
• Stage C to test utility-scale quantum system designs
• The 2027 Defense R&D Summit will cover quantum computing, AI and more

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected four more companies to advance to Stage C, the last phase of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.

Quantum computing, trusted AI and autonomy, and advanced space technologies are among the topics at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2027 Defense R&D Summit on Feb. 4. Register now to hear from Department of War and national security technology officials on where defense research and development investments are headed.

Which Companies Advanced to Stage C?

DARPA said Wednesday it selected the following companies, each pursuing a different qubit technology:

• Atom Computing: scalable arrays of neutral atoms
• Diraq: silicon CMOS spin qubits
• IBM: quantum computing with modular superconducting processors
• IonQ: trapped-ion quantum computing

IonQ said it signed a Stage C agreement with DARPA worth up to $300 million. According to the company, funding beyond the initial obligation depends on future appropriations and DARPA funding actions. Under the agreement, which runs through 2029, DARPA’s team will test several generations of IonQ’s Superion quantum systems against the company’s technical road map.