How about this as an opening statement for DARPA from Joe Altepeter, DARPA program manager leading the just-announced Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), a successor to the agency’s previous programs, Quantum Benchmarking (QB) and Unexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC).
“Our starting position is skepticism – specifically, skepticism that a fully fault-tolerant quantum computer with a sufficient number of logical qubits can be built. We would walk into a room and say, ‘Whatever you’re doing is almost certainly not going to work.’ I would bring in a small army of scientists and engineers, listen to your evidence, and double and triple check it using our own analysis. And once we are convinced that the technology you are developing is verifiable and you’re going to do big things, we would communicate that to the whole of government and be strong advocates of your approach.”
Game Start!
“It is in the best interest of companies that believe they can demonstrate they are on the path to industrial quantum computing (which will undoubtedly include companies that have previously applied to US2QC) to compete for QBI funding,” Altepeter said in an official announcement of the new program.
The Quantum Benchmark Initiative is an offshoot of two other DARPA programs: Quantum Benchmark and Frontier Systems for Utility-scale Quantum Computing (US2QC). “The former seeks to determine the scale of impact — put simply, if a fully functional quantum computer magically emerged, it would be possible to do things that standard computers cannot. The latter asks whether it is even possible to build an industrially useful, fault-tolerant quantum computer at all,” DARPA said.
The new program was announced last week and follows results from the QB program announced last month (see HPCwire article “Summer Reading: DARPA showcases progress on quantum benchmarks”).
DARPA has issued a special notice about the new program, excerpted at the bottom of the article, which provides some further details.
According to DARPA, the idea is simple.
“To anticipate whether quantum computing will grow from a primarily scientific endeavor into a critical industrial tool, DARPA has established new collaborations with the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the national leader in quantum computing research and high-performance computing, and the State of Illinois, which is investing heavily to create a new quantum computing corridor in the Chicago metropolitan area. To support these collaborations, DARPA will leverage Department of Defense expertise, particularly quantum scientists and engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York.”
It will be interesting to see how this program unfolds and what effects it has. DARPA is funding a variety of quantum technology POC/demonstration projects. Its collaboration with DoE and possibly more regional efforts is indicative of two (possibly) competing imperatives for the US — 1) not losing ground in the heated global quantum chase, and 2) succeeding or failing in these expensive efforts.
“Now that quantum seems to be everywhere and in everything, is it possible to extract real value from the hype cycle? Armed with healthy skepticism, scientific rigor, and industry and academic expertise, DARPA is attempting to do just that,” DARPA said in a statement.
Let’s take a look.
While program details are still being developed, DARPA has established a framework to plan and coordinate research, development, engineering and testing of quantum computing activities in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to ensure that U.S. Government investments in this field are maximized.
“The realization of a practical quantum computer has the potential to dramatically accelerate the pace of discovery in science and technology,” said Selene Susatto, DOE’s associate director for science for advanced scientific computing research programs, in an official release. “The Office of Science is proud to bring to this partnership decades of experience in the fundamental science of quantum computing, best-in-class tools for scientific research, and unique experience in developing, acquiring, and applying the world’s most powerful computers. We look forward to working with DARPA to demonstrate the potential of quantum computing technology.”
Companies that would like to learn more about QBI should review the special notice announcing the anticipated QBI program offering. Below are excerpts of most of the special notice regarding the program:
background:
The purpose of this Special Notice (SN) is to publicly inform the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of additional research areas of interest to the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO), specifically the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) program. The hypothesis that quantum computers will be transformative in a variety of scientific and technological fields is plausible but unproven. DARPA is interested in innovative approaches to building industrially useful, fault-tolerant quantum computers and applications that can run on these machines.
The Unexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program was launched to rigorously determine the feasibility of envisioned paths toward fault tolerance in 2022. To complement the existing efforts of the US2QC program, MTO plans to issue a program call for QBI to solicit new proposals to address challenges related to industrially useful quantum computing.
When released, QBI program solicitations will be published at https://sam.gov .
Program Objectives:
The primary goal of the QBI program is to determine whether novel approaches to quantum computing can achieve industrially useful operations much faster than previously predicted. The QBI program will validate and validate approaches that enable revolutionary advances in design, engineering, testing, and evaluation in the area of fault-tolerant quantum computing, and will explore computational workflows that include quantum computing steps.
Darpa Connect:
Organizations that have not previously worked with DARPA are encouraged to learn more about DARPAConnect, an initiative established to foster collaboration between DARPA and potential performers. The DARPAConnect team provides customized support, resources, and guidance on how to prepare your idea for impactful conversations with DARPA program managers. Visit DARPAConnect.us to access a digital hub of online resources, including curriculum for self-paced learning, personalized support, and in-person and virtual events. In addition to the self-paced online materials, the DARPAConnect team can schedule one-on-one conversations to discuss your specific ideas, questions, and paths to DARPA. Use the contact form on DARPAConnect.us or email the DARPAConnect team directly. [email protected] Request assistance.
Government:
For all administrative and technical questions [email protected]Please reference the Special Notification number (DARPA-SN-24-87) in all communications.
DARPA-SN-24-87
This Special Notice is being issued for information and program planning purposes only and does not constitute a formal solicitation of proposals or proposal outlines. Any such submissions will be disregarded. Pursuant to FAR 15.201(e), responses to this Special Notice are not offers and may not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. DARPA will not reimburse expenses incurred in responding to this Special Notice. Respondents are advised that DARPA is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of any information received or to provide any feedback to respondents regarding information submitted pursuant to this Special Notice.
Please do not include any confidential information in any response to this Special Notice.
Link to DARPA announcement: https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2024-07-16
Link to Dara Special Notice: https://sam.gov/opp/1153a9e09e5e4911899230bee76ffd33/view
