LPS Qubit Collaboratory

2021: Launch of a laboratory for the development of quantum computing

In early May 2021, the Army Research Office and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the National Security Agency (NSA) announced the launch of a research center for the development of quantum computing. The project was called LPS Qubit Collaboration (LQC).

It will bring together scientists and engineers from various industries to study the possibilities of quantum technologies. Particular attention will be paid to the development of qubits - the basic elements of quantum processors. Other challenges include:

• development of joint projects aimed at solving long-term problems in the field of quantum informatics;
• the formation of a group of specialists who will solve the problems of quantum technologies.

NSA launches laboratory to develop quantum computing

It is noted that the project participants will work remotely, that is, without physical contact with each other. The exchange of tools, data and computing resources will be organized in the format of digital libraries.

This is not the first government initiative in the United States aimed at supporting the development of quantum technologies. Earlier, the US Department of Defense division DARPA launched the ONISQ (Optimization with Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) program to promote quantum computing. It includes two stages. At the first, which continues by May 2021, project participants must present a quantum-classical algorithm and its execution on a quantum device to solve a specific problem of combinatorial optimization.

The second phase of the ONISQ program is designed for 30 months. Participants in the second phase, and promising teams from the first phase can go into it, will develop common theoretical methods to pave the way for the paradigm of quantum optimization.^[1]

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