The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $625 million in funding to renew its five National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers. These centers were originally established under the National Quantum Initiative Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2018.
According to the DOE, this renewal is part of a broader effort to align quantum research with national priorities and reinforce American leadership in quantum science and technology. The initiative focuses on advancing critical research and development across the U.S. QIS sector, strengthening the innovation ecosystem, accelerating technological discoveries, and maintaining U.S. leadership in quantum computing and related applications.
“President Trump positioned America to lead the world in quantum science and technology and today, a new frontier of scientific discovery lies before us. Breakthroughs in QIS have the potential to revolutionize the ways we sense, communicate, and compute, sparking entirely new technologies and industries,” said U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil. “The renewal of DOE’s National Quantum Information Science Research Centers will empower America to secure our advantage in pioneering the next generation of scientific and engineering advancements needed for this technology.”
Each center supports fundamental science that could disrupt current technologies across quantum computing, simulation, networking, and sensing; develops specialized tools for new QIS capabilities; advances quantum technology relevant to DOE’s scientific and national security challenges; and establishes resources for workforce development as well as industry partnerships.
The renewed centers include:
– Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) at Brookhaven National Laboratory: Focused on improving materials used in superconducting devices and developing modular approaches for various quantum systems.
– Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory: Aims to scale devices based on superconducting microwave cavities with new refrigeration methods.
– Q-NEXT at Argonne National Laboratory: Will advance algorithms for scaling operations both on-chip and between labs while working on next-generation sensors.
– Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Targets large-scale computers using improved error correction across different circuit types.
– Quantum Science Center (QSC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Plans to develop open-source software for high-performance computing that accelerates advancements across disciplines.
Funding was awarded through a competitive peer review process under the DOE’s laboratory program announcement. The total amount is $625 million over up to five years, starting with $125 million allocated for Fiscal Year 2025; future funding depends on congressional appropriations.
Award selection does not guarantee immediate funding or award issuance—final decisions will follow negotiation processes between DOE officials and applicants.
Further details about these awards are available on the QIS initiative homepage, while more information about each center can be found at NQISRC.org.
