LEMONT, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that DOE has renewed funding for Q-NEXT for another five years. Q-NEXT is a National Quantum Information Science Research Center (NQISRC) led by Argonne National Laboratory in partnership with SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, both DOE national labs.
The renewal ensures that Q-NEXT will continue to lead the charge in advancing quantum information science and technology, helping solidify the United States’ position as a global leader in this transformative field.
Q-NEXT will be funded by DOE at $125 million over the next five years, with $25 million in fiscal year 2026 and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations.
“Quantum information science is a cornerstone of the nation’s technological future, with the potential to transform industries including computing, healthcare and national security,” said inaugural Q-NEXT Director David Awschalom, who is also a senior scientist at Argonne, the director of quantum engineering at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange. “Through our renewed mission, Q-NEXT will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in quantum science, delivering the foundational knowledge, tools and technologies needed to ensure national leadership in this critical field.”
Awschalom has now assumed the role of chief science officer.
Q-NEXT’s mission is to unlock the future of quantum information by seamlessly integrating quantum and traditional information systems across optical networks. Building on its achievements over the past five years, the center will focus on demonstrating the potential of distributed quantum entanglement — a phenomenon where qubits, the fundamental unit of quantum information, remain connected even when separated by large distances.
“We’re building on the strong foundation we’ve laid over the past five years to take on our renewed mission — harnessing distributed entanglement to show what’s possible with scalable quantum platforms,” said Q-NEXT Director and Argonne scientist Martin Holt. “By uniting quantum technologies across optical networks, we will pave the way for systems capable of revolutionizing how we process, transmit and receive information.”
Q-NEXT brings together a strong network of partners: two DOE national laboratories, 11 leading universities and six tech companies. This cross-sector collaboration ensures that the center’s work is both innovative and practical, bridging the gap between scientific discovery and real-world application. Universities contribute expertise in quantum sensing and communication, while industry partners provide access to state-of-the-art prototypes and manufacturing capabilities. Together, Q-NEXT partners form a vibrant ecosystem that drives progress in quantum science.
“We envision quantum systems that work across chip-to-chip, lab-to-lab and city-to-city scales,” said Q-NEXT Deputy Director Jennifer Dionne, who is a professor of materials science and engineering and, by courtesy, of radiology at Stanford University and SLAC. “We’re excited to advance a shared set of hardware, software and protocols to make quantum networks and sensors efficient and practical.”
Q-NEXT’s renewed efforts will focus on three scientific goals:
- Communication — developing quantum communication networks that link devices across metropolitan areas. Q-NEXT aims to demonstrate algorithms that run across multiple remote, connected quantum processors.
- Sensing — using quantum entanglement to achieve unprecedented precision in sensing applications. Q-NEXT will demonstrate real-world uses, such as in medicine and navigation, as well as foundational scientific discoveries in gravitation and quantum mechanics where quantum entanglement gives a clear advantage in sensing and measurement.
- Materials — developing new approaches to integrating materials that can be scaled for industry use. Q-NEXT will tackle the most important challenges involved in merging distinct quantum materials systems with advanced functionality and integrating them into practical quantum devices.
Q-NEXT will pursue its goals through large-scale, team-based projects that combine materials science, device engineering and quantum physics theory. By leveraging world-class science facilities, Q-NEXT aims to deliver breakthroughs that will shape the future of quantum technology. These facilities include the Argonne and SLAC Quantum Foundries, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource and several DOE Office of Science user facilities: Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials, the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility and SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source.
In addition to its scientific mission, Q-NEXT will continue to build the next generation of quantum scientists, engineers, technicians and other professionals. Through educational programs, internships and training opportunities such as the DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship and the Open Quantum Initiative Undergraduate Fellowship, the center is preparing students, early-career researchers and operations specialists to thrive in the rapidly growing quantum industry.
“By fostering a skilled workforce, Q-NEXT is ensuring that the U.S. remains at the forefront of quantum innovation,” Awschalom said.
Q-NEXT was established in 2020, and in its first five years, it led the establishment of the Argonne and SLAC Quantum Foundries. Together these two national facilities contribute to a robust supply chain of standardized materials and devices.
Among Q-NEXT’s first-run science breakthroughs: setting a record lifetime — an impressive 5 seconds — for a qubit in silicon carbide; engineering a high-performance qubit based on niobium, a previously understudied core material; and developing a method to pinpoint correlations between magnetic fields picked up by quantum sensors. Q-NEXT also published “A Roadmap for Quantum Interconnects,” which lays out the research and scientific discoveries needed for distributing quantum information in 10 to 15 years. Thirty-nine experts at 15 organizations co-authored the report.
“We’ve built an active, cross-disciplinary collaboration that’s laid the groundwork for networked quantum information by intertwining computing, sensing and communication,” Holt said. “Over the next five years, we’ll strengthen these efforts, strategically coordinating with the other NQISRCs and the national quantum ecosystem to accelerate the arrival of transformative quantum technologies.”
Collaboration with industry has been essential to the center’s mission — turning cutting-edge research into innovations that can transform technology and strengthen the nation’s quantum leadership.
“IBM’s work with the National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, such as Q-NEXT led by Argonne, is vital to our mission to build the future of computing,” said Jay Gambetta, director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow. IBM is a Q-NEXT partner. “Together, we are exploring how efficient quantum networks can be created through optical links connected to IBM’s quantum networking units. This could deliver the fundamental technology needed to link the multiple, interconnected fault-tolerant quantum computers of the future over kilometer distances, allowing the convergence of quantum computation and communication within a future quantum computing internet that could revolutionize scientific and industrial discovery.”
Q-NEXT is one of five DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Centers renewed for another five years.
“Quantum technologies are driving innovations across society, and our laboratory is focusing on delivering science breakthroughs to accelerate these innovations,” said Argonne Director Paul Kearns. “With a renewed Q-NEXT, we will continue to play an integral role in the national quantum ecosystem through coordinated, complementary efforts with DOE’s other quantum research centers. We are committed to realizing the promise of quantum information to build a more connected world and shape a future of scientific progress that strengthens our nation’s security, prosperity and technological leadership.”
DOE national laboratories Argonne and SLAC are expected to be joined in the collaboration by academic and industry partners including Caltech, Cornell University, IBM, Intel, IonQ, MIT, PsiQuantum, Quantum Opus, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Iowa and University of Wisconsin–Madison.
This work was supported by the DOE’s Office of Science National Quantum Information Science Research Centers as part of the Q-NEXT center.
Contacts
Christopher J. Kramer
Head of External Communications
Argonne National Laboratory
Office: 630.252.5580
Email: [email protected]
