Two separate rounds of federal funding are pushing quantum computing research forward at universities and in industry, according to newly released announcements.
Quantum company D-Wave has secured a grant from the National Science Foundation to support the ERASE Initiative, a project led by Yale University, according to reports from Yahoo Finance Singapore and TradingView.
Separately, a University at Buffalo physicist has received two U.S. Department of Defense grants totaling $1.1 million, according to a University at Buffalo news release. The funding will support the study of the quantum dynamics that could help advance neutral-atom quantum computing — an approach that uses individual neutral atoms as the building blocks of a quantum machine.
Together, the awards show federal agencies backing quantum research through more than one channel: the NSF supporting a university-led effort in partnership with a private company, and the Defense Department funding fundamental physics work inside a public university.
Quantum computers aim to solve certain problems far faster than today's conventional machines by exploiting the strange rules of quantum physics. But the technology is still early, and much of the work remains foundational — understanding how quantum systems behave before larger, reliable machines can be built.
Why it matters: government money often signals where a young technology is headed, and these grants suggest the U.S. is continuing to invest public funds in the science and partnerships that could determine who leads in quantum computing.