The Government Circuit: USMCA Review—A Crucial Opportunity to Fortify North American Electronics
American Made Advocacy: National Security and Industrial Policy Inextricably Linked
IBM Advances to Next Phase of DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative
November 11, 2025 | IBMEstimated reading time: 1 minute
IBM announced it has been selected for Stage B, the second of three stages of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative led by DARPA, the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
As the independent research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Defense, DARPA’s work focuses on identifying, creating, and supporting transformational, high-reward technologies for national security. In 2024, DARPA launched the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) to determine the feasibility of building an industrially fault-tolerant quantum computer whose computational value exceeds its cost.
The program is designed to rigorously validate and verify multiple approaches towards delivering such a quantum computer by 2033.
“IBM’s progression to Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative is a firm validation of IBM’s approach to delivering a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer,” said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research. “IBM has publicly laid out our comprehensive plan and roadmap to scale quantum computers towards fault-tolerance. As the industry advances, we look forward to working with DARPA as they continue an unbiased review of potential viable strategies across the field.”
QBI aims to support the Stage B “performers’” ongoing research and development efforts through third-party verification and validation of their strategy.
As part of the initiative, IBM is also aiming to explore novel approaches to scaling control systems for quantum computers with SEEQC.
Each successful QBI performer will progress through three stages of the program:
- Stage A required an initial technical concept of a cost-effective, fault-tolerant quantum computer that has a plausible path to realization in the near term. Stage A performers were announced in April 2025.
- Announced today, Stage B called for a comprehensive research and development plan capable of realizing such a quantum computer, as well as the risks associated with this plan and mitigation approaches.
- Stage C, according to DARPA, will be when “the QBI independent verification and validation (IV&V) team will test the companies’ computer hardware.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
IonQ Expands in EU With Slovakia’s First National Quantum Communication Network
12/08/2025 | BUSINESS WIREIonQ, the world’s leading quantum company, through its subsidiary ID Quantique (IDQ), announced the deployment of Slovakia’s first national quantum communication network.
SEEQC Partners with ITRI to Build Advanced Superconducting Electronic Chip Manufacturing Line
12/02/2025 | SEEQCSEEQC, the digital quantum computing company developing a fully digital, chip-based quantum computing platform, announced a manufacturing partnership with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).
IonQ, Heven AeroTech Partner to Develop Quantum-Enabled Drones for National Security Applications
11/24/2025 | BUSINESS WIREIonQ, the world’s leading quantum company, announced a new investment and strategic partnership with Heven AeroTech, a developer of advanced hydrogen-powered Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) solutions for defense and aerospace missions.
IonQ to Acquire Skyloom to Advance Global Quantum Networking
11/18/2025 | BUSINESS WIREIonQ, the world’s leading quantum company, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Skyloom Global, a U.S.-based leader in high-performance optical communications infrastructure that enables secure, high-speed data links across Earth and in orbit.
Q-NEXT Quantum Center Renewed for Five Years
11/17/2025 | SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it 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.