U.S. Department of Energy Awards $50 Million for Five National Quantum Computing Research Hubs

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science announced $50 million in research funding to support the next five-year development phase across the five National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers led by national laboratories and premier research universities.

Securing Global Leadership in Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing

The funding packages support interdisciplinary scientific teams at Brookhaven, Fermi, Argonne, Oak Ridge, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories working on superconducting qubits, neutral atom quantum processors, and room-temperature quantum memory networks. The research initiatives focus on simulating complex molecular chemistry for next-generation solid-state batteries, optimizing national electric grid load distributions, and advancing quantum-resistant post-quantum cryptography.

Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geri Richmond stated that quantum information science represents the frontier of computational physics, ensuring the United States maintains technological leadership in advanced computing.

Semiconductor Industry and Academic Partnerships

Quantum industry consortia including IBM Quantum and Quantinuum praised the open-access testbed partnerships with DOE national labs.

Academic physics departments noted that grant funding supports graduate fellowships for over 300 quantum engineering doctoral candidates.

Research Program Execution Schedule

Expanded five-year quantum center research protocols will commence across all five national laboratories on October 1, 2026.