ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers are trying to re-ignite industry interest in developing quantum computing systems that can perform reliable practical computations on real-world problems that exceed the capabilities of conventional supercomputers.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., issued a program announcement (DARPA-PA-26-02) in November to announce the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) 2026 project.
Quantum computing uses quantum mechanics to process information using quantum bits (qubits) instead of classical bits to solve complex problems beyond the reach of traditional computers. This project involve so-called utility-scale quantum computing, which focuses on solving real-world problems that are beyond the reach of conventional supercomputers no later than 2033.
QBI 2026 is an expansion of the existing DARPA Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program, and follows a QBI program solicitation (DARPA-PS-24-26) released in August 2024.
Future technology calls
QBI 2026 topics will be announced in future calls for proposals that will focus on near-term quantum computing concepts; risk mitigation; prototypes; ways to verify and validate quantum computing technology; and on testing and evaluation tools.
The goal is to determine if approaches to quantum computing can achieve utility-scale operation by 2033, and perhaps developing deployable quantum computing machines by that time. The project seeks to minimize the burden of entry and reduce program risk.
DARPA Will release QBI topics of interest until 14 Nov. 2026, and is not asking for industry responses until these topics are released. Email questions or concerns to Joseph Altepeter, the QBI 2026 program manager, at [email protected]. More information is online at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/c26b38bf041a4d70b00ed619bebb4773/view.
