PsiQuantum Receives New Contract to Continue Work on Utility-Scale Quantum Computer

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded a quantum computing solutions provider a contract to continue the development of the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing program.

On Tuesday, PsiQuantum announced that it secured an contract that would allow it to continue its research on underexplored quantum computing approaches, including its photonic approach and how it can contribute to accelerating making utility-scale operation a reality.

Matter-based approaches have been the main focus of commercial quantum computing research efforts, but “utility-scale” commercially useful quantum computing has since gained scale after the industry matured, PsiQuantum said.

CEO and co-founder Jeremy O’Brien said the new contract would allow the company to continue its only mission: to build the first useful, large-scale quantum computer in the world.

The company has been collaborating with several government entities to advance quantum technology. In October 2022, it won a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to design quantum photonic chips for a wide range of applications.

In February 2023, PsiQuantum was among three companies, including Atom Computing and Microsoft, tapped by DARPA to work on a program that will be rolled out in four phases over five years.