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NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory

NSF Invests Millions in Design and Development to Advance the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory

In an effort to democratize access to state-of-the-art quantum technology throughout the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is rapidly speeding its ambitious plan to create the first National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) in history. In an effort to increase access to these game-changing technologies across the country, the NSF has now allocated an additional $16 million to four teams tasked with constructing the NQVL’s high-tech infrastructure, after first investing $5 million in exploratory trial projects.

The NSF’s goal to help the United States achieve “quantum advantage” using quantum technologies to tackle difficult issues for the good of society is anchored by the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory NQVL. Any qualified researcher or student in the United States, regardless of location, can participate in this virtual laboratory, which is intended to be a shared national resource that is ready to overcome the spatial constraints of traditional brick-and-mortar institutions. It aims to develop a pool of knowledge from academia, business, and government, combining the theory, experimentation, and business savvy necessary to advance real-world quantum computing applications.

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Entering the Design Phase: $16 Million Investment

The NSF has taken a big step ahead by awarding $16 million to four different teams to design the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory NQVL’s fundamental components. Each team will receive $4 million over two years. The goal of these design initiatives is to create workable ways to increase access to quantum software and hardware, which are currently extremely specialized and concentrated in a small number of labs.

Plans for networked, shared quantum computers that researchers can control from a distance and the development of a “digital twin” a dynamic replica of a quantum computer are two important design endeavors. Any American researcher will be able to virtually test and improve new quantum algorithms with this digital twin.

In carrying out the responsibilities of the NSF director, Brian Stone emphasized that these efforts are essential for converting fundamental quantum science leadership into concrete technologies, goods, and systems, guaranteeing U.S. competitiveness and dominance in the field for decades to come.

For this design phase, the following four teams have been chosen:

• Trapped Ions System of the Quantum Advantage Class.
• Photonics Applications in Quantum Computing.
• Quantum Advantage is demonstrated using a wide-area quantum network.
• Rydberg Atom Quantum Computing Laboratory Open Stack.

Higher education institutions, more than 20 industrial partners, and federal organizations from the United States, such as the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and NASA, make up each team. The wide ecosystem collaboration is highlighted by notable industry partners such as QuEra, NVIDIA, J.P. Morgan, and IonQ. This all-encompassing strategy is in keeping with the NSF’s plan to implement the developments specified in the “National Quantum Initiative Act” of 2018. Later in 2025, a second round of design teams is planned, and, depending on future legislative appropriations, more financing is projected for the lab’s subsequent implementation phase.

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Laying the Groundwork: Initial Pilot Projects

The present design phase expands on a $5 million foundational investment that was made in August 2024 and split among five pilot projects. In order to establish the foundation for the National Quantum Virtual LaboratoryNQVL, this initial investment was intended to demonstrate early quantum capabilities and concentrate on exploratory studies. As a clear step towards the present design phase, the teams from this first phase were asked to seek for additional financing through the Quantum Science and Technology Demonstrations (QSTD): II. Design & Implementation proposal.

These were the first five pilot projects:

• Wide-Area Quantum Network to Demonstrate Quantum Advantage (SCY-QNet): In partnership with Columbia University, Yale University, and Brookhaven National Laboratory, this team, led by Stony Brook University, sought to build a long-distance, 10-node quantum network. Its objective was to show off quantum advantage through distributed quantum processing and quantum communication, opening the door for safe, private long-distance communication systems.
• Quantum Advantage-Class Trapped Ion system (QACTI): This project, led by Duke University, aimed to develop a 256-qubit ion trap quantum computing system. Its partners included Tufts University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the University of Chicago. It was intended to do a broad range of quantum computations and simulations and was made to be controlled via the internet.
• Deep Learning on Programmable Quantum Computers (): The Massachusetts Institute of Technology led a team called Deep Learning on Programmable Quantum Computers (DLPQC), which collaborated with Harvard University, the University of California Los Angeles, and the University of Maryland to develop quantum computing platforms with more than 100 qubits for error-corrected computing. Enabling complicated many-body analysis to solve chemistry, advanced materials, and physics problems was the goal.
• Quantum Sensing and Imaging Lab (Q-SAIL): Under the direction of the University of California Los Angeles, this project sought to create quantum sensors using two-dimensional trapped-ion arrays. It was also led by the University of Delaware, California Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With uses in terahertz imaging for astronomy and medical, navigation, telecommunications, and other domains, such sensors have enormous potential to advance frequency metrology.
• Quantum Computing Applications of Photonics (QCAP): The goal of the University of New Mexico-led Quantum Computing Applications of Photonics (QCAP) team, which included New Mexico State University, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Skorpios Technologies Inc., and Hoonify Technologies Inc., was to use monolithically integrated quantum photonics to develop quantum computers on chips. The final objective was to use industrial collaborations to turn this technology into a product that could be sold.

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A Catalyst for the Quantum Workforce and National Competitiveness

In addition to serving as a research facility, the NQVL is intended to be a powerful engine for the growth of the American workforce in quantum technology. The laboratory will directly assist the NSF’s mission from the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act to position the United States as a leader in the development of quantum technology by offering essential training and instructional materials to build the next generation of quantum professionals. “U.S. competitiveness hinges on accelerating the translation of technological innovations into the market and society, as well as training the American workforce for the jobs of tomorrow,” stressed Erwin Gianchandani, NSF Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.

The NQVL provides the innovative architecture required to achieve quantum advantage, recognising that iterative breakthroughs in quantum technology development frequently necessitate deploying the technology before it is fully mature. NQVL will “surmount the limitations inherent in using solely brick-and-mortar facilities” by being available to any eligible researcher or student across the United States, as NSF Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences Denise Caldwell, who is acting, correctly puts it.

The National Quantum Virtual Laboratory NQVL is positioned as an unmatched resource for quantum information research in the United States with the NSF’s strategic investment in it and the cooperation of scientists and industry professionals. This partnership paves the way for important developments in quantum technology and workforce development. It’s similar to creating a shared national highway for innovation, whereby disparate research projects may now easily link and work together, speeding up the process of turning scientific discoveries into useful applications.

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