The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has advanced its Heterogeneous Architectures for Quantum, or HARQ, program with 19 performer teams from 15 organizations tasked with developing software and hardware frameworks that enable different quantum computing technologies to operate within a single system.
The effort is organized around two parallel workstreams, DARPA said Tuesday. The Multi-qubit Optimized Software Architecture through Interconnected Compilation, or MOSAIC, track focuses on building software frameworks and circuit compilers that optimize quantum algorithms by assigning tasks across multiple qubit types. The goal is to produce more efficient “mosaic” circuits than those generated by single-platform systems.
The second track, Quantum Shared Backbone, or QSB, addresses the hardware challenge of enabling communication between different qubit technologies. Teams will develop high-fidelity interconnects to link disparate quantum systems within a single architecture.
Performers will spend the next 24 months collaborating through co-design efforts to develop the architectural principles, tools and components needed to support heterogeneous quantum systems.
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Why Is DARPA Focusing on Multi-Qubit Architectures?
“Qubit technologies each have their own distinct advantages, but no single approach can deliver everything needed for large-scale, high-performance quantum systems,” said DARPA Program Manager Justin Cohen. “HARQ is asking the community to shift away from a ‘one-qubit-to-rule-them-all’ mindset.”
Quantum computing developers are pursuing various qubit technologies, including superconducting circuits, trapped ions, neutral atoms and photonic systems, each offering distinct advantages but also tradeoffs. DARPA launched HARQ earlier this year to address the challenge of integrating these technologies, with a focus on developing the interstitial components needed to connect them.
“We aim to define what a truly heterogeneous quantum architecture looks like and to develop the interconnects that make those systems possible. If successful, this approach could provide a far more efficient path to scaling quantum computing and unlock applications that remain out of reach today,” Cohen explained.
Who Are the Selected HARQ Performers?
The selected teams span academia and industry across both workstreams.
For the MOSAIC track, participants include Infleqtion, MemQ, Q-CTRL, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania.
The QSB track includes the Australian National University; Carnegie Mellon University; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Harvard University; IonQ; Stanford University; the University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
DARPA said most teams are already on contract, with additional agreements in progress.
