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    DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI)

    Also known as QBI, Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, US2QC

    The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) is a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency programme that assesses whether any quantum computing approach can reach utility scale - computational value exceeding cost - by 2033.[1] On 7 October 2026 it moved Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM and IonQ into its final hardware-verification stage, joining Microsoft and PsiQuantum.[2]

    Editor reviewedUpdated Quantum computingComputingPhysics
    Key facts

    What it is

    The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative is a DARPA programme designed to establish whether any quantum computing approach can achieve “utility-scale operation”, which DARPA defines as computational value exceeding cost, by 2033.[1] Rather than funding one design, it acts as an independent evaluator across many qubit technologies.[3]

    How it works

    QBI runs in three stages. In Stage A, teams spend six months describing a full system concept and evidence that it is feasible. Stage B is a year of deeper technical risk reduction and R&D planning. Stage C is government verification and validation of the hardware itself.[4] DARPA describes Stage C as the point where “we begin moving from plans to proof”.[2] During the year-long Stage B, DARPA examined each team’s research and development plans, the technical risks they face, their strategies for reducing those risks and the prototypes needed to show progress.[5] DARPA stresses that QBI is not a competition between companies and is not intended to pick winners and losers.[6]

    QBI is linked to an earlier DARPA pilot, US2QC, under which DARPA in February 2025 moved Microsoft (topological qubits) and PsiQuantum (photonic qubits) into its final validation phase.[7] More than 50 experts from DARPA’s test and evaluation team examined those two companies’ approaches before that decision.[8]

    Teams

    On 6 November 2025 DARPA moved 11 companies to Stage B: Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, IonQ, Nord Quantique, Photonic, Quantinuum, Quantum Motion, QuEra, Silicon Quantum Computing and Xanadu.[9] Between them they cover neutral atoms, trapped ions, superconducting circuits, silicon spin and atom qubits, and photonics.[3]

    On 7 October 2026 DARPA advanced four of them, Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM and IonQ, to Stage C, where they join Microsoft and PsiQuantum.[2] DARPA lists them as Atom Computing of Boulder, Colorado (neutral-atom arrays), Diraq of Sydney (silicon CMOS spin qubits), IBM of Yorktown Heights, New York (modular superconducting processors) and IonQ of College Park, Maryland (trapped ions).[10] The date is 7 October 2026 on DARPA’s announcement page.[2] That gives the final stage one neutral-atom, one silicon-spin, one superconducting, one trapped-ion, one topological and one photonic approach.[3][7] Quantinuum and QuEra, both in Stage B, were not among the October 2026 advancers.[2]

    Why it matters

    QBI tests company roadmaps against government review rather than relying on companies’ own claims.[2] In March 2026 DARPA’s managing director for the programme said it “now seems likely that someone will build a utility-scale quantum computer by 2033”, while stressing that it is unclear which team or teams will get there.[11] In October 2026 he said DARPA “increasingly” expects someone to reach utility scale by 2033, while still not knowing which team or approach.[12] DARPA also opened a new Stage A round in March 2026, with abstracts due on 31 July and full proposals on 30 September 2026, so more teams may enter.[13] Since its launch in mid-2024 QBI has evaluated more than 20 companies; Quandela joined Stage A in May 2026, and DARPA expects further promotions to Stage C.[14] Several Stage C approaches, including IBM’s, also face open questions about quantum advantage and topological qubits covered in the quantum advantage debate.[15][16]

    Questions readers ask

    What is DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative?

    A DARPA programme that tests whether any quantum computing approach can reach utility scale, meaning its computational value exceeds its cost, by 2033.[1]

    Which companies are in QBI's final stage?

    As of 7 October 2026, Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, IonQ, Microsoft and PsiQuantum.[2]

    Does DARPA think a useful quantum computer will be built?

    DARPA's managing director for the programme said in March 2026 that it now seems likely someone will build a utility-scale quantum computer by 2033, but it is unclear which team.[11]

    Can new companies still join?

    Yes. DARPA opened a new Stage A solicitation in March 2026, with full proposals due on 30 September 2026.[13]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative aims to determine whether any quantum computing approach can reach utility-scale operation - computational value exceeding cost - by 2033. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    2. [2]

      On 7 October 2026 DARPA advanced Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM and IonQ to QBI Stage C, joining Microsoft and PsiQuantum, which entered from the US2QC pilot. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    3. [3]

      DARPA lists the QBI Stage B approaches as neutral atoms (Atom Computing, QuEra), trapped ions (IonQ, Quantinuum), superconducting circuits (IBM, and Nord Quantique with bosonic error correction), silicon spin or atom qubits (Diraq, Photonic, Quantum Motion, Silicon Quantum Computing) and photonics (Xanadu). confirmedas of 2025-11-06

    4. [4]

      QBI runs in three stages - Stage A, a six-month system concept study; Stage B, a deeper risk-reduction and R&D planning stage; and Stage C, government verification and validation of hardware. confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    5. [5]

      DARPA says that during the year-long Stage B it examined each organisation's research and development plans, technical risks, mitigation strategies and the prototypes needed to show progress. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    6. [6]

      DARPA says QBI is not a competition between companies and is not intended to pick winners and losers, but to assess whether different approaches offer credible paths to utility-scale operation. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    7. [7]

      In February 2025 DARPA selected Microsoft (topological qubits) and PsiQuantum (photonic qubits) for the final phase of its US2QC programme, evaluating whether each could build a utility-scale, error-corrected quantum computer. confirmedas of 2025-02-06

    8. [8]

      DARPA said more than 50 experts from its test and evaluation team examined Microsoft's and PsiQuantum's approaches, and described Microsoft's design as a compact superconducting topological qubit architecture. confirmedas of 2025-02-06

    9. [9]

      On 6 November 2025 DARPA moved 11 companies to QBI Stage B - Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, IonQ, Nord Quantique, Photonic, Quantinuum, Quantum Motion, QuEra, Silicon Quantum Computing and Xanadu. confirmedas of 2025-11-06

    10. [10]

      DARPA lists the October 2026 Stage C entrants as Atom Computing of Boulder, Colorado (neutral-atom arrays), Diraq of Sydney (silicon CMOS spin qubits), IBM of Yorktown Heights, New York (modular superconducting processors) and IonQ of College Park, Maryland (trapped ions). confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    11. [11]

      DARPA's managing director for the programme said in March 2026 that it now seems likely someone will build a utility-scale quantum computer by 2033, but it is unclear which team. confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    12. [12]

      In October 2026 QBI's managing director said DARPA increasingly expects someone to build a utility-scale quantum computer by 2033, but does not yet know which team or technical approach will get there. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    13. [13]

      In March 2026 DARPA opened a new QBI Stage A solicitation for additional teams, with full proposals due on 30 September 2026. confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    14. [14]

      DARPA said QBI had evaluated more than 20 companies since its mid-2024 launch, that Quandela joined Stage A in May 2026, and that it expects more companies to advance to Stage C. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    15. [15]

      An August 2026 preprint reported classically reproducing all 2,051 amplitude batches of IBM's 70-qubit doped Clifford sampling experiment in 37.3 minutes on 256 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, with results compatible with IBM's fidelity bound. reportedas of 2026-08-13

    16. [16]

      On 24 June 2026 Nature published a critique by a University of St Andrews physicist arguing that Microsoft's 2025 claims rested on coding errors and a flawed tune-up protocol, and that Microsoft presented only favourable outcomes. confirmedas of 2026-06-24

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created.
    2. Added Stage B review details, Stage C entrants' locations and approaches, DARPA's October 2026 outlook, the number of companies evaluated and the 2026 solicitation timetable; confirmed the Stage C date as 7 October 2026 from DARPA's announcement page.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI)." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/darpa-quantum-benchmarking-initiative

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

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