DOE Opens Applications for $215M Genesis Mission Competition

DOE’s Quantum Genesis Q Competition aims to engage vendors to help build the world’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer.

The Energy Department is seeking to realize one of the key components of the Genesis Mission with a new funding effort to build the world’s first fault-tolerant scientifically relevant quantum computer (SRQC).

Called the Quantum Genesis Q Competition, the initiative is accepting applications from vendors through Oct. 19 and will award up to $215 million.

Energy Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil told reporters during a press call that the team received ample feedback through town halls, roundtables and requests for information that indicated quantum computing on the order of 100 logical qubits was achievable within this decade.

“If we have the opportunity as a country to deliver a SRQC in this time frame, it’s a shot worth taking, and we’re very willing to take the risk,” said Gil. “I know the community wants to do this. I think the beauty of this program, it’s a way to find out by building this scientific capability, which has always been true of the experiments that come out of the Office of Science.”

Competition Phases Bring Industry, National Labs Together

The competition has three phases and requires participants to meet milestones throughout the process. Phase I features a fixed award for early milestones, up to $1.5 million per awardee, and phase II is a $100 million general incentive pool split among awardees that demonstrates a first-generation SRQC with at least 100 logical qubits. Phase II also features two bonus incentive pools of $50 million each for awardees that demonstrate 150 and 200 logical qubits.