Sydney Australia, April 04, 2025 -- Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), a pioneer in quantum computing and atomic manufacturing, today announced that it has been awarded a DARPA contract under the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) program. The purpose of this program is to rigorously verify and validate if any quantum computing approach can achieve utility-scale operation, meaning its computational value exceeds its cost, by the year 2033.

SQC’s Founder and CEO, Michelle Simmons, said, “We are extremely excited to be selected for this award and to be working with the expert team at DARPA. Not only is the associated funding incredibly useful, DARPA’s third-party interrogation of our path to a utility-scale quantum computer will be immensely valuable.At SQC we have always been focused on the end goal, to deliver a useful quantum computer.”

To overcome the technical challenges to achieve quantum computing at scale, back in 1998 Bruce Kane proposed SQC’s disruptive ‘atom qubits in silicon’ platform. Unlike other quantum technology platforms that use artificially manufactured qubits for a fast start, SQC’s atom qubits are intrinsically quantum, resulting in industry-leading algorithmic performance metrics. With qubits embedded in a silicon chip, SQC’s high-quality processors are readily manufacturable at scale.

“This is why we have built a fully integrated in-house manufacturing facility at SQC, allowing us to iterate new chip designs within 1-2 weeks – far faster than other quantum computing companies.” added SQC Chair and former ARM CEO Simon Segars.

Simmons noted, “This award from DARPA validates SQC’s global leadership in the race to develop quantum computers that can deliver reliable, real-world, commercial solutions.”