Four CQE corporate partners and two member institutions are among a group of 15 organizations collaborating on mixed-qubit architectures for quantum computing.
Infleqtion, IonQ, memQ, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are leading projects as part of the program, and researchers from qBraid and University of Chicago are part of the project led by memQ.
“Qubit technologies each have their own distinct advantages, but no single approach can deliver everything needed for large-scale, high-performance quantum systems. HARQ is asking the community to shift away from a ‘one-qubit-to-rule-them-all’ mindset,” said DARPA Program Manager Justin Cohen in DARPA's announcement today. “We aim to define what a truly heterogeneous quantum architecture looks like and to develop the interconnects that make those systems possible. If successful, this approach could provide a far more efficient path to scaling quantum computing and unlock applications that remain out of reach today.”
The research teams are split into two parallel workstreams:
Multi-qubit Optimized Software Architecture through Interconnected Compilation (MOSAIC): centered around developing software frameworks and circuit compilers that can optimize a quantum algorithms’ performance and resources by using diverse qubit types. As its name suggests, the goal is to create compiled "mosaics" of physical circuits that are significantly more efficient than those produced by single-platform systems.
- Infleqtion
- memQ: “The entire memQ team is honored to be selected for participation in this critical program,” stated Manish Singh, Chief Product Officer at memQ. “Much as DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative was key to ensuring a path to utility scale for quantum computers, the HARQ program will catalyze the modularity, scale, and resource optimization needed to realize the full potential of quantum computing.”
Read memQ's release.
Quantum Shared Backbone (QSB): focused on the hardware challenge of creating high-fidelity interconnects that support communication between different types of qubits. These efforts aim to enable technologies that link disparate qubit platforms within a single system.
- IonQ: “We’re pleased to be selected for DARPA’s HARQ program. IonQ’s pioneering quantum interconnect technology can enable modular scalability not only for ion traps, but for a wide range of quantum technologies,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ. “We look forward to collaborating with DARPA to strengthen national security by developing the quantum platform which can serve as a backbone for networking and scaling quantum systems - across qubit types - for advanced public and private sector applications.”
Read IonQ's release. - UIUC