The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $61 million in funding for infrastructure and research projects to advance quantum information science (QIS). Advances in QIS can enable new forms of computing, simulation, communication, and sensing, the DOE said in a statement.

• Awards to five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRC) will support the development of infrastructure and capabilities for nanoscience-based research. (Total award amount: $30 million)
• New funding for scientists to study and develop new devices to send and receive quantum network traffic and advance the development of a continental-scale quantum internet. (Total award amount: $6 million)
• New funding to support the research, design, development, and demonstration of regional-scale quantum network testbeds. This new scientific infrastructure is expected to advance the foundational building blocks of a quantum internet, including quantum internet devices and protocols, and technology and techniques for quantum error correction at the internet-scale. (Total award amount: $25 million)

DOE’s Office of Science currently supports five National QIS Research Centers and a  portfolio of QIS research projects in key areas that advance the DOE mission and support the National Quantum Initiative, says the agency.

[Image courtesy: DOE]