September 24, 2024 -- Infleqtion, the world’s leading quantum information company, today announced it has been awarded a $1.15M grant by the Department of Energy (DOE) under the SBIR Phase IIB program. This grant marks the first DOE SBIR Phase IIB award given to software for quantum computing and will help advance Infleqtion’s work on Superstaq, the company’s software platform purpose-built to optimize quantum computing performance.

“One of the biggest opportunities to accelerate progress toward fault-tolerant quantum computing lies not in the hardware, but in the software. This is a unique area of focus for Infleqtion, and we’ve already demonstrated how Superstaq can enable up to 10x performance gains by taking specific device characteristics into consideration,” said Matthew Kinsella, CEO of Infleqtion. “The SBIR grant is a testament to the pioneering work we’ve already done and will be a catalyst for ongoing breakthroughs in quantum software.”

Quantum technology is widely recognized for its potential to transform industries such as defense, finance, energy, healthcare, life sciences, and more. However, progress with quantum computing continues to be hampered by reliability and performance issues, which are exacerbated by software stacks that lack device-specific optimizations. Infleqtion’s groundbreaking Superstaq platform addresses this issue – and closes a key gap for the realization of commercially relevant quantum computing applications – by integrating a deep understanding of quantum hardware with end-user applications.

Superstaq optimizes the performance of quantum computers, enabling faster and more reliable program execution. The platform uses proprietary cross-layer optimization techniques to enhance execution, error mitigation and hardware-specific operation. Infleqtion collaborates on the platform with leading quantum centers, including the Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and QSCOUT at Sandia National Laboratories.

“Since 2021, the Advanced Quantum Testbed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has collaborated with the Superstaq team through its user program,” said Christopher Spitzer, Berkeley Lab’s Quantum Program Manager. “This research collaboration has led to several impactful demonstrations and published results for the broader scientific community, bringing us all closer to achieving the real benefits of quantum technology.”

The SBIR Phase IIB project will drive further advancement of Superstaq, with a focus on four technical objectives: efficient quantum characterization, optimized compilation for mid-circuit measurement, low-level compilation, and experimental demonstration of pristine resource state distillation. These are each aimed at further advancing the capabilities of quantum software to act as a force-multiplier towards commercially relevant applications. The potential public benefits are far ranging and include advancements in fields such as drug discovery, chemical simulations, aircraft design, logistics planning, and energy sector innovations.

Infleqtion’s leadership in quantum computing led to its selection as part of Japan’s Quantum Moonshot program, a cutting-edge initiative to advance Japan’s technological capabilities. Infleqtion is the only foreign quantum computing partner in the program. As part of the program, Infleqtion will collaborate to develop a large-scale, neutral atom quantum computer with high-fidelity qubits.