DOE Awards SBIR Grant to Q-CTRL to Support Research in Advanced Computing

Q-CTRL, an Australian quantum computing company, announced that its U.S. branch has been awarded a grant to support the Department of Energy‘s advanced computing research efforts.

DOE awarded the $230,000 Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant as one of 158 grants worth a total of $35 million. The awards are aimed at promoting research in clean energy technologies, Q-CTRL said Tuesday.

The department’s SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are designed to give innovative clean energy products and services a better chance at commercialization.

Q-CTRL said it plans to use the grant to develop new ways to automate quantum computers using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques.

The goal is to lower the level of expertise needed to operate quantum computers, a challenge that Q-CTRL described as a major hurdle for the emerging technology.

Work will be done in collaboration with DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories, which focuses on addressing national security challenges, the company added.

Q-CTRL said the funding will also help it expand its presence in the United States and grow its office in Los Angeles.

DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions previously published a document showcasing the advances, applications and challenges in the field of quantum information science.

OTT said that quantum information technologies already have adopters in the fields of cryptology, quantum chemistry and quantum sensing.

In late January, DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced plans to build a new research facility dedicated to quantum information science, tripling the laboratory space allotted for research on the technology.