hpc

DoE seeking fault-tolerant quantum computer ... by 2028

Entrants get $250K upfront to deliver a demo within a year, which sounds totally feasible given quantum computing's track record

The US Department of Energy hopes to spur creation of something no one has yet realized: a fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computer, and to do it within a couple of years with relatively little federal funding upfront.

The DoE announced its Quantum Genesis Q Competition, an initiative that it said in a request for applications on the program’s opportunity site aims to produce a first-generation fault tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computer (SRQC) by 2028. 

If that sounds like a lofty goal in and of itself, that goal only becomes loftier when you realize what sort of research grants the DoE intends to award. The department anticipates up to $215 million in funding for the program, subject to congressional appropriations, with the money tied to milestones rather than simply handed out upfront.

Up to ten awardees will be selected, with each eligible for up to $1.5 million during the first phase of the competition. All but $250,000 of that will be held back until awardees deliver a validated prototype about a year into the contest, meaning those whose verification and validation plans are approved by DoE will have just $250,000 in milestone funding upfront before delivering the prototype.