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Argonne & Intel Deploy 12-Qubit Silicon Quantum Dot Processor
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Quantum physics. Argonne and Intel have deployed a 12-qubit quantum processor based on silicon quantum dots.

Argonne National Laboratory and Intel have partnered to deploy and run a 12-qubit quantum processor based on silicon quantum dots.

What Did Argonne & Intel Achieve in Quantum Computing?

Developed by Intel and operated at Argonne, the 12-qubit silicon quantum dot processor is among the most advanced demonstrations of quantum dot qubits to date. Its successful deployment demonstrates that standard semiconductor manufacturing methods can be utilized to construct quantum computers at scale.

The collaboration combines Intel’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities with Argonne’s open-science expertise, drawing on decades of experience in silicon transistor manufacturing to advance quantum dot technology. The project was led by Q-NEXT, the Department of Energy’s National Quantum Information Science Research Center hosted at Argonne, with initial results published in Nature Communications.

“This collaboration between Argonne and Intel is a cornerstone of Q-NEXT. It shows the impact of a national quantum research center: Only at this scale can industry and discovery-driven organizations like the national laboratories combine their strengths to build such a complex system,” said David Awschalom, inaugural director of  Q-NEXT.

What Are Quantum Dots?

Quantum dots confine particles such as electrons to spaces smaller than their natural wavelengths, forcing them into discrete, tunable energy states governed by quantum physics. Scientists can precisely control these energy levels by varying a dot’s size and material makeup. Building on single-electron demonstrations, researchers are now scaling quantum dot-based spin qubits for use in quantum computing and related technologies.

How Will Quantum Dots Scale to Useful Quantum Computers?

Scaling practical quantum computers will require systems with hundreds or millions of qubits. Intel is advancing the fabrication of larger quantum dot processors, while Argonne is studying how qubits interact and perform as systems grow. This feedback between physics research and device engineering is guiding the development of larger, more capable quantum dot systems.

Prior Argonne-Intel Collaborations

Argonne and Intel have collaborated on advanced computing initiatives, including the development of the Aurora exascale supercomputer and a semiconductor testbed to support algorithm testing activities at Q-NEXT.

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War Department Seeks Industry Input on AI-Driven Zero Trust Purple Team Assessments
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DOW seal. The Department of War has issued a request for information on AI-driven Zero Trust Purple Team assessments.

The Department of War has issued a request for information to solicit industry feedback on the use of automation and artificial intelligence to support and enhance Zero Trust Purple Team assessments across unclassified and secret networks.

War Department Seeks Industry Input on AI-Driven Zero Trust Purple Team Assessments

Register now and join the Potomac Officers Club at the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29 to engage with top defense leaders and innovators as they explore the cutting-edge technologies shaping the future of warfare.

What Is the Scope of Zero Trust Assessments & Artificial Intelligence RFI?

According to the sources sought notice published Tuesday on SAM.gov, the DOW’s chief information officer is seeking vendors to provide details on commercial off-the-shelf, or COTS, platforms and services that use automation, AI and machine learning to accelerate and scale zero trust assessments within the War Department.

The initiative is designed to address anticipated capacity constraints by enabling continuous, collaborative evaluations—bringing together offensive and defensive cyber teams with system owners—to assess implementation of core zero trust principles, identify gaps or deficiencies, and validate compliance with target-level zero trust activities and acceptance criteria. The effort supports the department’s goal of aligning its IT environments with target-level zero trust standards.

What Is Zero Trust?

Zero trust is a cybersecurity framework based on the premise that networks and systems face persistent threats, DefenseScoop reports. Under this model, the Pentagon must continually verify users and devices as they access and move across the network. The DOW’s Zero Trust Strategy requires all of its components to meet designated zero-trust maturity targets by the end of fiscal year 2027.

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USAF Leader Shares 4 Hot AI Business Opportunities for 2026
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Col. Daniel May. The USAF chief AI officer for Air Force intelligence talked AI ahead of the 2026 Defense R&D Summit.
  • The U.S. Air Force’s interest in AI is expected to grow even further in 2026
  • Enterprise-level access to LLMs and improved AI workflows are just a few critical business opportunities in AI for GovCons
  • Hear more actionable business intelligence on AI directly from Col. Daniel May, chief AI officer for USAF intelligence, at the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29!

The U.S. Air Force’s insatiable appetite for artificial intelligence is expected to grow even further in 2026. The Department of War last year utilized AI to improve capabilities in decision support, intelligence and awareness, maintenance and logistics, and training and workforce, according to Military.com.

The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29 will dive deep into the latest business opportunities with AI with captivating keynote addresses and fascinating panel discussions. These will feature top Pentagon officials such as Col. Daniel May, U.S. Air Force chief AI officer for Air Force intelligence, and leading industry experts.

ExecutiveGov sat down with Col. May for an exclusive interview on the USAF’s top AI business opportunities in 2026 and other AI requirements GovCons need to know. Get actionable business intelligence like this at the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29. Secure your seat today!

Does the Air Force Use AI?

The USAF is experimenting with AI in a variety of applications. These include command and control, logistics, human-machine teaming and autonomous systems.

Let’s dig into the USAF’s top AI business opportunities for the upcoming year.

What Are AI Opportunities with the Air Force for GovCons?

1. Enterprise-Level Premium Access to LLMs

The USAF wants to provide enterprise-level, premium access to large language models. May said Pentagon subagencies, including the USAF, currently provide free access to LLMs that allow users to experiment and set up workflows.

The problem is this is generating a big bill for the USAF while also throttling, or reducing performance, for users, especially in machine-to-machine application programming interface access. May said, as a remedy, the USAF wants to provide paid access, without restriction, to at least one commercial LLM and, perhaps, an open-source LLM.

2. Make AI Models Available in the Classified Cloud-as-a-Service

The USAF wants to expand services it provides for a machine learning operations pipeline that will bring unclassified models up to classified intelligence networks. May said the USAF wants to make it easier for people to create a model, hit a button to have it show up on a classified network and allow intelligence airmen to access and use it immediately.

The service is already pretty good at doing this with software. May said a user will commit the software, which will automatically get pushed and deployed from an unclassified network up to a classified system. Here it gets deployed on a classified cloud computing network and provided as a service.

The USAF wants to avoid a user having a great new model, but spend four months deploying the model. May said this could lead to operators deploying this new model on both unclassified and classified networks and have two different versions of the same model.

“We don’t want that,” May said. “We want to be able to move it, update and fix security issues quickly. Just the way that everyone does it with software and [continuous integration and continuous deployment] pipelines.”

Are you a GovCon technology professional? Then you cannot afford to miss the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29—it’s designed just for you! Dive into our panel discussions on AI: Securing the Future of Defense Innovation and Powering AI at Mission Scale. Get your pressing questions answered during the Q&A sessions. Sign up today!

3. Improved AI Workflows

The USAF wants industry to help it insert AI into its workflows and help it optimize human-machine teaming to get the most from both the human expertise and the computing technology. 

The USAF is discovering how AI can be a helpful tool for workflows, or the steps one takes to produce something, such as highlighting weaknesses. May said many organizations experience weaknesses in workflows when they try to digitize a process that, 20 years ago, was manual and performed on paper. The problem, he said, is that organizations often don’t change the steps involved in the process after digitizing.

May mentioned how IBM’s Deep Blue in 1997 became the first computer to defeat a human chess champion under standard tournament rules. Using 32 processors to perform an array of coordinated, high-velocity computations at the same time, Deep Blue examined 200 million chess positions per second, according to IBM.

May said initial speculation revolved around who would win future human-machine chess competitions: the human or the computer? Operators, he said, discovered it was neither and, instead, was teams that perfected how they interacted with the technology and understood its capabilities and limitations.

We really need industry to come in and help and say ‘Here’s capability for you to manage your workflows to insert AI technology into your workflows and really make that human-machine teaming robust’

4. Applying Agentic AI to New Missions

The USAF wants to apply agentic AI to new missions such as foreign disclosure. This is the process that the Pentagon undergoes when it wants to determine whether or not it should share classified, or controlled unclassified information, with an authorized representative of a foreign government.

May said foreign disclosure is a mission where people spend a lot of time referencing policy and prior decisions to generate conclusions. The USAF, he said, is discovering that agentic AI systems can be extremely helpful with foreign disclosure as it can assign an agent to research existing policy in a certain subject area.

May also said that the AI agent could execute some collaboration, read through some documents or PowerPoint presentations and determine whether everything is classified or categorized correctly.

“I think multi-step mission areas where there’s a need to refer to large bodies of knowledge is something where we’re really starting to see AI have this big impact,” May said, “instead of spending all my time flipping through the books or [searching digital documents].”

USAF Leader Shares 4 Hot AI Business Opportunities for 2026
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FCC Appoints UNC Professor Jonathan Williams as Chief Economist
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Federal Communications Commission's logo. Jonathan Williams was named FCC's chief economist and head of OEA

Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has named Jonathan Williams as the agency’s chief economist.

The FCC said Monday that Williams will lead the Office of Economics and Analytics, or OEA, and advise Carr and other commissioners on economic issues.

“I’m excited that Dr. Williams will lend his talents to the FCC as we continue to integrate economic analysis into our decision-making,” Carr stated.

Who Is Jonathan Williams?

Williams most recently served as a professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also led the university’s Center for Regulatory and Industrial Studies as director.

Before joining UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015, Williams was an assistant professor at the University of Georgia and an instructor at the University of Virginia.

An accomplished researcher, Williams’ work focuses on industrial organization and applied econometrics. His research has appeared in numerous academic journals and he has presented at seminars across the country over the past decade.

He was also an academic affiliate for the International Center for Law & Economics, a non-profit research organization that promotes the application of law and economics methodologies in policy creation.

Williams holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and applied mathematics from Ohio University and his doctorate degree in economics from the University of Virginia.

What Are the Responsibilities of the OEA?

The OEA was established in 2018 to conduct benefit-cost analysis for rules that may have major impacts on the economy.

According to the FCC website, the office also develops and implements data practices and policies and oversees spectrum auctions and some of the commission’s data collections.

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DOE Selects 3 Companies for $2.7B Uranium Enrichment Capacity Initiative
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Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Wright said the investment supports a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain

The Department of Energy has awarded $2.7 billion in uranium enrichment task orders to three companies to expand domestic production capacity and reduce reliance on foreign fuel sources.

The investment is intended to expand the nation’s low-enriched uranium, or LEU, capacity and establish new high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, supply chains, the agency said Monday.

“Today’s awards show that this Administration is committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capable of producing the nuclear fuels needed to power the reactors of today and the advanced reactors of tomorrow,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated.

Which Companies Received DOE Enrichment Awards?

American Centrifuge Operating, General Matter and Orano Federal Services each received $900 million task orders from DOE. American Centrifuge and General Matter will establish domestic HALEU enrichment capacity, which is critical for advanced reactor designs that require higher uranium enrichment levels than those used in today’s commercial reactors.

Meanwhile, Orano Federal Services will expand domestic LEU enrichment capacity, which will contribute toward the continued operations of the 94 commercial reactors across the nation. 

DOE said the task orders are being distributed under a milestone-based framework to ensure accountability as the companies develop new enrichment capabilities.

The agency also awarded $28 million to Global Laser Enrichment to continue advancing next-generation uranium enrichment technology.

How Is DOE Supporting Energy Innovation?

Aside from investing in building uranium enrichment capacity, DOE is also supporting the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors through its HALEU Availability Program, which aims to ensure access to HALEU for research, development, demonstration and commercial use.

TRISO-X, Kairos Power, Radiant Industries, Westinghouse Electric and TerraPower are the first companies to secure HALEU allocations under the program.

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Space Force Eyes Commercial Options for Space, Ground-Based Environmental Sensing
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Space Force logo. SYD 810 released an RFI for space- and ground-based environmental sensing.

The U.S. Space Force has issued a request for information to assess commercial data and service options for space- and ground-based environmental monitoring missions. Posted on SAM.gov on Monday, the RFI from Space Systems Command’s System Delta 810 is intended to inform future acquisition strategies supporting the Department of War’s weather and environmental sensing requirements. 

Responses, due Feb. 20, will be used to evaluate feasibility, delivery approaches and pricing models for commercial offerings.

What Capabilities Is SSC Requesting From Industry?

Areas of interest include compact imagers for geostationary and high Earth orbits; modular spacecraft platforms operating across low Earth orbit, GEO and HEO; and sensors for space weather and atmospheric phenomena such as ionospheric density and Global Navigation Satellite System-based radio occultation.

The RFI also requests details on data processing approaches, including artificial intelligence and machine learning used for calibration, data fusion and recovery of degraded observations.

What Business Models and Pricing Data Is the Space Force Evaluating?

SSC is asking vendors to outline commercial delivery and pricing structures, including for data-as-a-service offerings and hosted payload arrangements. Respondents should provide illustrative pricing for various service levels, detailing how costs scale with key variables such as data volume, refresh rate, latency and geographic coverage.

Why Is System Delta 810 Issuing the RFI?

System Delta 810 is responsible for space-based sensing and targeting missions, including environmental monitoring that supports military planning and operations. SSC activated the delta in 2025 to align acquisition and operational needs for weather, environmental surveillance and tactical sensing.

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US, Allies Test AI-Enabled Human-Machine Teaming in Coalition Battle Management Sprint
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Artificial intelligence. The US, Canada and the UK participated in DASH 3.

The U.S. Air Force has completed a coalition experiment testing how artificial intelligence can support human decision-making in battle management, bringing together operators from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Conducted during the 2025 Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, known as DASH, the effort evaluated how AI-generated recommendations could accelerate command and control decisions in simulated combat scenarios, the Air Force said Monday.

The latest iteration, DASH 3, was led by the Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team and executed at Shadow Operations Center–Nellis in Las Vegas in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the U.S. Space Force and allied operators.

US, Allies Test AI-Enabled Human-Machine Teaming in Coalition Battle Management Sprint

The 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29, hosted by the Potomac Officers Club, convenes defense leaders, researchers and innovators to examine how emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence and human-machine teaming—are influencing the future of warfare. Register now to learn from key decision-makers and pioneers shaping the defense landscape.

How Was AI Used to Support Battle Management Decisions?

During DASH 3, six industry teams and an innovation team from the 805th Combat Training Squadron worked alongside coalition operators to test AI-enabled tools designed to generate multiple battle courses of action. The tools were used to explore decision options across long-range strike planning, electromagnetic battle management, space and cyber challenges, and agile combat employment scenarios.

An Air Force official said the systems were able to generate multiple viable courses of action in seconds, compared with minutes using traditional methods. Machine-generated recommendations evaluated factors such as risk, fuel, timing, force composition and routing, while human operators retained decision authority.

What Did the Experiment Reveal About Human Trust in AI?

Participating operators reported increased confidence in AI tools as the sprint progressed. Rather than replacing human judgment, the systems provided starting points that operators could refine, according to U.S. Air Force First Lt. Ashley Nguyen, a DASH 3 participant.

Preserving human control is an approach consistent with broader Air Force guidance that emphasizes human oversight for high-risk operational decisions.

Why Was Coalition Participation Central to DASH 3?

Operators from Canada and the United Kingdom participated directly in the experiment, testing how AI-enabled decision tools could function in coalition command-and-control environments. According to the Air Force, the unclassified structure of DASH lowered barriers to allied participation and allowed interoperability considerations to be tested early.

Lessons from the 2025 DASH event will inform future experiments planned for 2026, as the service continues to refine the integration of AI into command-and-control operations.

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NASA Selects Industry Partners to Advance Habitable Worlds Observatory
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Planet Earth. NASA has selected proposals to advance technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory.

NASA has selected industry proposals to develop technologies that will aid in building the Habitable Worlds Observatory, an advanced space telescope designed to search for signs of life on planets similar to Earth.

What Is the Purpose of NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory?

The agency said Monday the planned observatory will image Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars and analyze their atmospheric chemistry for potential biological activity. The space telescope will also support a wide range of research across the universe, while supporting future human exploration of Mars and the broader solar system.

Which Companies Were Selected?

As part of this effort, NASA awarded three-year, fixed-price contracts to the following companies with proposals intended to advance the observatory’s technology readiness:

  • Astroscale U.S.
  • BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems
  • Busek
  • L3Harris Technologies
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Northrop Grumman
  • Zecoat

What Are the Habitable Worlds Observatory’s Key Design Features?

In terms of system design, the Habitable Worlds Observatory will be built for extreme optical stability, with system motion kept to less than the width of an atom during observations. The mission would also use a powerful coronagraph to block starlight and allow nearby planets to be observed, exceeding the capabilities of any space coronagraph built to date. In addition, the observatory would be designed for in-space servicing, extending its operational life and scientific return over time.

What Prior Proposals Did NASA Award for the Space Telescope?

In 2024, NASA selected BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to mature key technologies for future large space telescopes and support the Habitable Worlds Observatory concept. The selected projects, valued at a combined $17.5 million, cover the development of ultra-stable optical systems, integrated modeling tools for mission design assessment and system-level technologies for baseline telescope architecture.

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GAO Says Federal Award Programs Lack Complete Fraud-Prevention Safeguards
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GAO logo. GAO found that some federal programs do not consistently apply key safeguards for federal awards.

The Government Accountability Office has reported that selected federal programs do not consistently incorporate key requirements and leading practices designed to safeguard federal awards—including grants, contracts and loans—from fraud, waste and abuse.

According to a GAO report published Sunday, four of the five programs reviewed—the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS for America Fund, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Center Program, and the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs—did not fully incorporate all nine criteria into their documented policies and procedures. The Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries was the only program that documented procedures addressing all nine requirements.

What Are the Requirements for Safeguarding Federal Awards?

An effective fraud risk management framework should include the following elements:

  • A designated office or function responsible for overseeing fraud risk management activities
  • Senior leadership oversight, including a body responsible for reviewing, tracking and addressing internal control weaknesses
  • Agencywide and program-level risk profiling to identify and prioritize risks
  • Assessment of fraud and other program-specific risks
  • Defined risk mitigation actions and documented antifraud strategies
  • Targeted control activities designed to prevent, deter and detect fraudulent activity
  • Collaboration with stakeholders, including partnerships and incentives that support effective antifraud implementation
  • Risk-based monitoring and comprehensive assessment of all components of the Fraud Risk Framework
  • Evaluation of audit results, including recovery audits and single audit

What Were GAO’s Recommendations? 

To address these gaps, GAO recommended that four agencies strengthen and formalize fraud risk management and internal control practices across major federal programs. For the Department of Commerce, GAO suggests documenting the use of recovery audits in the CHIPS for America Fund, while urging the Department of Energy enhance oversight of the Hydrogen Hubs program through documented fraud risk assessments, a formal risk profile, an antifraud strategy and procedures for sharing and monitoring fraud-related information.

The agency also recommended that the Environmental Protection Agency establish a senior management council to oversee internal control deficiencies and that the Department of Health and Human Services finalize fraud risk assessment policies and strengthen oversight of the Health Center Program through documented risk profiles and antifraud strategies.

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Trump Orders HieFo to Divest EMCORE Semiconductor Assets After CFIUS Review
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Chip manufacturing. Trump ordered HieFo to divest semiconductor assets acquired from EMCORE.

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order prohibiting HieFo from retaining ownership of certain semiconductor assets acquired from EMCORE, citing national security risks. 

The directive, issued by the White House on Friday, follows a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which determined that the deal could expose sensitive U.S. semiconductor technology and disrupt the domestic supply of indium phosphide chips.

Why Did the President Block the Transaction?

According to the order, there is credible evidence that Delaware-based HieFo, controlled by a Chinese citizen, could take actions that threaten U.S. national security through its control of New Jersey-based EMCORE’s chip-related assets. The president stated that no existing legal authorities were sufficient to address the risk identified by CFIUS, which concluded that the transaction could allow access to EMCORE’s intellectual property, proprietary know-how and manufacturing expertise, as well as enable diversion of chip supply away from the United States.

What Does the Order Require HieFo to Do?

The order directs the company to divest all related rights and property within 180 days, unless CFIUS grants an extension. Until divestment is completed and verified, HieFo is barred from granting access to the assets or associated nonpublic technical information without CFIUS approval.

The order also restricts restructuring, asset transfers or other actions that could impede compliance, and authorizes CFIUS to audit and monitor HieFo throughout the divestment process.

Why Did CFIUS Intervene After the Transaction Closed?

The acquisition deal between HieFo and EMCORE was completed in 2024. According to CFIUS, HieFo did not submit the transaction for review until after the committee’s non-notified team initiated an investigation.

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