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DARPA-PA-26-02-02 (QBI Stage A) deadline is September 30, 2026, matching the stored deadline. Stage B is limited to already-selected companies.
The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Phase B is a grant from DARPA that funds rigorous research and development planning by advanced quantum computing companies working toward utility-scale quantum operation.
Selected through a competitive multi-stage evaluation process, Phase B participants spend one year developing detailed R&D plans, identifying technical risks, and specifying risk-reduction prototypes for fault-tolerant quantum computers. The program aims to verify whether any quantum computing approach can achieve computational value exceeding its cost by 2033. Awards range from $1 million to $5 million.
Eligibility is currently limited to the 11 companies already selected for Stage B, though new entrants may apply to Stage A via DARPA-PA-26-02-02 by September 30, 2026.
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Stage B selection | DARPA Department of War organization. QBI: Quantum Benchmarking Initiative As of Nov. 6, 2025, DARPA has selected 11 companies to enter the second stage (Stage B) of the agency’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), which aims to rigorously verify and validate whether any quantum computing approach can achieve utility-scale operation — meaning its computational value exceeds its cost — by the year 2033.
As QBI continues, DARPA anticipates additional teams to advance to stages A, B, and C, as described below. Companies have entered the evaluation process on varying timelines, resulting in staggered advancement across the three stages. During the six-month Stage A, companies characterized their unique concepts for creating a useful, fault-tolerant quantum computer.
Now, in the yearlong Stage B, they will develop and detail their R&D plans, including identifying and mitigating the associated risks, and specifying the necessary risk-reduction prototypes.
Companies successful in Stage B will be invited to progress to QBI’s final stage, in which a government verification and validation team will determine if their utility-scale quantum computer concept can be constructed as designed and operated as intended.
Companies selected for Stage B have described compelling technical concepts and the QBI team will scour their R&D plans to determine whether they are on track to meet not only near-term milestones, but also the ultimate objective: a useful quantum computer by 2033. A significant challenge in evaluating quantum computing development plans lies in the diversity of technological approaches.
Unlike classical computing, no single dominant architecture exists. The Stage B teams employ a wide range of quantum bit (qubit) technologies – the fundamental building blocks of a quantum computer – each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and technical hurdles. QBI is not a competition to narrow the field to a few “winners.
” Rather, the aim is to evaluate each company’s approach on its own merits. Multiple, single, or even no participants will ultimately demonstrate a path to an industrially useful quantum computer within the next eight years. Thorough evaluation is crucial to understanding the true potential of the technology.
The following companies (with their qubit technology approach) have been selected for Stage B at this time: Atom Computing : Boulder, Colorado (scalable arrays of neutral atoms) Diraq: Sydney, Australia, with operations in Palo Alto, California, and Boston, Massachusetts (silicon CMOS spin qubits) IBM: Yorktown Heights, New York (quantum computing with modular superconducting processors) IonQ: College Park, Maryland (trapped-ion quantum computing) Nord Quantique: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada (superconducting qubits with bosonic error correction) Photonic Inc .
: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (optically-linked silicon spin qubits) Quantinuum: Broomfield, Colorado (trapped-ion quantum charged coupled device (QCCD) architecture) Quantum Motion: London, UK (MOS-based silicon spin qubits) QuEra Computing: Boston, Massachusetts (neutral atom qubits) Silicon Quantum Computing Pty.
Ltd.: Sydney, Australia (precision atom qubits in silicon) Xanadu: Toronto, Canada (photonic quantum computing) It is likely but not guaranteed that additional teams will enter Stage B in the future. DARPA will announce any additional promotion decisions after contracting with those teams is finalized.
The Stage B promotions followed an announcement that Google Quantum AI joined Stage A in September 2025, and earlier announcements that Microsoft and PsiQuantum entered the third and final phase of the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program. US2QC is a pilot effort that was expanded to become QBI in 2024.
Both companies were participating in the second phase of US2QC when the QBI expansion was announced. The final Phase of US2QC has the same technical goals as Stage C of QBI: verification and validation of an industrially useful quantum computer.
Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Topic (QBIT) Stage A QBI Topic Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Microsystems Technology Office QBI: Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Quantum Benchmarking Initiative expands quest to separate hype from reality DARPA, State of New Mexico establish framework to advance quantum computing DARPA, State of Maryland sign agreement to propel quantum research DARPA eyes companies targeting industrially useful quantum computers DARPA selects two discrete utility-scale quantum computing approaches for evaluation DARPA to host meeting, discussions with quantum computing companies Moving quantum computing from hype to prototype Voices from DARPA: The Quantum Mechanic | Ep 71
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Stage B is limited to 11 companies already selected by DARPA. New entrants may apply to Stage A via DARPA-PA-26-02-02 with a deadline of September 30, 2026. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $1,000,000 - $5,000,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Phase B accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no single fixed deadline. Check the official notice for any cycle-specific review dates.
Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Phase B is funded by DARPA. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This listing is flagged as international in scope. Check the official notice for country-specific restrictions before applying.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
DARPA DSO Office-Wide BAA for Defense Sciences and AI is a grant from DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO) that funds basic and applied research proposals in defense sciences and artificial intelligence that may fall outside current program priorities but have potential value to national security. DARPA's primary funding vehicle is the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which is open to all responsible proposers from universities, commercial companies, nonprofits, and research institutions. The office-wide BAA is refreshed annually and outlines current technical areas of interest. The deadline for proposals is June 2, 2026.
DARPA Tactical Technology Office BAA is a broad agency announcement from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that invites proposals for innovative research and technology development that fall outside the scope of currently active program-specific solicitations. Open to all responsible sources, the BAA is posted to SAM.gov and refreshed annually with a deadline of June 2026. All DARPA technical offices maintain their own dedicated BAAs to capture cutting-edge ideas at every stage of development. This office-wide mechanism is intended for proposals that do not fit neatly into existing programs, making it an important entry point for novel concepts in defense-relevant science and engineering that could eventually shape future DARPA programs.
DoD Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI) is sponsored by Department of Defense (DoD) - Office of Naval Research (ONR). The Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI), administered by the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research, supports basic research in science and engineering at U. S.
SBIR SF254-D1206: Knowledge-Guided Test and Evaluation Frameworks for proliferated Low Earth Orbit Constellations is sponsored by U.S. Air Force. DOD SBIR topic SF254-D1206: Knowledge-Guided Test and Evaluation Frameworks for proliferated Low Earth Orbit Constellations. Component: U.S. Air Force. Command: SDA. Solicitation: DoD SBIR 2025.4. Phase(s): D2PII, II, SPII. Status: Pre-Release. Open date: 3/4/2026.
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