DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative: Eleven Companies Selected for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing Evaluation

DARPA Selects Eleven Companies for Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Stage B

As of November 6, 2025, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected eleven companies to enter the second stage (Stage B) of the agency's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). This ambitious program 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.

What is the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative?

The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative is designed to determine if it's possible to build an industrially useful quantum computer much faster than conventional predictions. Specifically, QBI seeks to rigorously verify and validate if any quantum computing approach can achieve utility-scale operation by 2033.

In the simplest terms, QBI seeks to answer a critical question: If a fully functioning quantum computer magically appeared, what would it make possible that a standard computer cannot accomplish?

Unlike traditional competitions that narrow the field to a few "winners," QBI evaluates each company's approach on its own merits. Multiple, single, or even no participants may 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 Three-Stage Evaluation Process

Every successful QBI performer progresses through three critical stages:

Stage B Companies and Their Approaches

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 associated risks, and specifying the necessary risk-reduction prototypes.

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.

The following companies (with their qubit technology approach) have been selected for Stage B:

The Path Forward

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.

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.

In addition to funding performers, QBI will add value to their ongoing research and development efforts by providing unbiased third-party verification and validation of an organization's path to a utility-scale quantum computer. QBI will also effectively communicate the results of this verification and validation effort to other U.S. government stakeholders.

Why This Matters

The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative represents a significant step forward in the quest for practical quantum computing. By evaluating diverse approaches simultaneously, DARPA aims to accelerate the development timeline and identify the most promising paths to utility-scale quantum computing.

The selection of these eleven companies reflects the global nature of quantum computing research and the variety of approaches being explored. From superconducting qubits to trapped ions, from photonic systems to silicon-based approaches, the diversity of technologies under evaluation increases the likelihood that at least one path will lead to practical quantum advantage.

As we move closer to 2033, the QBI program will provide critical insights into which quantum computing architectures are most likely to achieve the goal of utility-scale operation – where quantum computers can solve real-world problems that classical computers cannot, at a cost that makes economic sense.