The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DOD), Infleqtion, Nebula Space Enterprises, and Accenture Federal Services have announced a partnership for the Quantum & Space Collaboration. The initiative aims to utilise quantum technologies for advancements in national security, energy, and economic prosperity. The collaboration will focus on quantum sensing, communications, and computing to bolster the US’s leadership in the space economy. The goal is to begin space environmental demonstrations using quantum technologies in early 2024. Rima Kasia Oueid, the DOE’s lead for the Quantum Space Collaboration, emphasised the importance of this partnership for innovation and economic stability.
Quantum & Space Collaboration: A New Era of Innovation
Rima Kasia Oueid, the DOE’s lead for the Quantum Space Collaboration and Commercialization Executive at the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), highlighted the importance of this partnership. She stated that the collaboration is crucial for ensuring that the United States remains at the forefront of innovation. The advancements from this collaboration are expected to enhance global safety, economic stability, and overall human welfare, while also unlocking the potential to discover and efficiently use space resources. The target is to begin space environmental demonstrations using quantum technologies in early 2024 and to begin evaluating use cases and new commercialisation opportunities.
“We are thrilled to be part of this private-public partnership with the Department of Energy to drive innovation in space. This partnership represents an exciting opportunity to leverage cutting-edge resources and expertise from multiple sectors to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technologies. Together, we will harness the power of quantum sensing, quantum communications, and quantum computing to advance national security, energy, and economic interests,”
Scott Faris, CEO of Infleqtion.
The Collaborating Parties: A Blend of Expertise
The collaborating parties have experience in applied research and deployment of quantum technologies, including quantum sensing, communications, and computing. They aim to collaborate on quantum and other space-related activities to accelerate commercialisation and enable new capabilities that further DOE, DOD, and NASA mission objectives in the next 5 to 10 years.
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) mission is to develop and transition innovative high-payoff space technologies supporting U.S. warfighters in their service to the country, while leveraging commercial, civil, and other government space capabilities to ensure America’s advantage. The DOE is committed to addressing America’s energy and environmental challenges, fostering groundbreaking scientific and technological solutions. Nebula Space Enterprises aims to establish high-performance computing in space, working in tandem with AFRL/RV to enhance intelligence delivery to U.S. Warfighters. Accenture brings a diverse array of skills to the table to support quantum applications in space. Infleqtion offers quantum sensors and clocks essential for high-precision data collection, navigation, and intelligence gathering.
The Future of Quantum Technologies in Space
The collaboration aims to synergise expertise in Quantum Information Science (QIS), cybersecurity, and space technology development. This includes leveraging their collective technological portfolio to foster a range of space-oriented capabilities, such as quantum-secure communications, quantum sensing, and the integration of quantum with classical computing in orbital environments.
The parties seek to leverage their technology portfolio and platforms to integrate and orchestrate Quantum Secure Communication Demonstration in Orbit, support benchmarking of Classical AI/ML Algorithms, develop and test quantum algorithms, and develop use cases for Hybrid Quantum and Classical Computing Space Platform among other capabilities.
The Potential Impact of the Collaboration
“This Collaboration has been long in the making and is vital for ensuring that the United States remains at the forefront of innovation. We stand on the brink of a new economic era—one that expands into space, propelled by current and soon-to-be-realized quantum technologies. These advancements are poised to enhance global safety, economic stability, and overall human welfare, while also unlocking the potential to discover and efficiently use space resources. This will also create skilled blue- and white-collar jobs of the future to build the supply chain. Our target is to begin space environmental demonstrations using quantum technologies in early 2024 and to begin evaluating use cases and new commercialization opportunities.”
Rima Kasia Oueid, the DOE’s lead/architect for the Quantum Space Collaboration and Commercialization Executive at the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT)
The collaboration will provide initial feasibility assessments that could form the foundation for deploying a mesh network of full grade data centres delivering hybrid quantum computing capabilities, enhanced by quantum sensing, powered by nuclear energy, and connected by secure quantum communications. This could have broad societal impacts beyond national security, and could be a steppingstone towards commercialising computing infrastructure that will enable a growing space economy.
About the Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions
The Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) is one of the largest supporters of technology commercialisation in the federal government. Founded in 2015, OTT bolsters the technology industry’s market skills and enables clean energy technologies to progress through research, development, demonstration, and to deployment into the private sector to meet our nation’s climate goals.
“This collaboration involves the most promising technologies available today, and using them in combination can create a blueprint for the future,”
Garland Garris, quantum security lead at Accenture Federal Services.
Quick Summary
The U.S. Department of Energy, along with several strategic partners, has announced a collaboration aimed at utilizing quantum technologies for advancements in national security, energy, and economic prosperity, with the goal of starting space environmental demonstrations using these technologies by 2024. The collaboration will focus on applied research and deployment of quantum technologies, including quantum sensing, communications, and computing, to bolster the United States’ leadership in the emergent space economy and enable new capabilities that further mission objectives over the next 5 to 10 years.
“We are excited to be part of advancing the very latest technologies for Defense and NASA missions. These technologies have broad societal impacts beyond national security, and we consider the MOU a steppingstone towards commercializing computing infrastructure that will enable a growing space economy. New applied use cases of technologies such as Quantum computing and sensing will also benefit and augment several existing terrestrial industries over time.”
Nebula Co-Founders Peter Stridh and Michael Bloxton.
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the Department of Defense (DOD), Infleqtion, Nebula Space Enterprises, and Accenture Federal Services, has announced the first round of participants in the Quantum & Space Collaboration.
- The initiative aims to utilise quantum technologies for advancements in national security, energy, and economic prosperity, and to support sustainability goals.
- Rima Kasia Oueid, the DOE’s lead for the Quantum Space Collaboration, highlighted the potential of these advancements to enhance global safety, economic stability, and human welfare.
- The collaboration will focus on applied research and deployment of quantum technologies, including quantum sensing, communications, and computing, to bolster the United States’ leadership in the emergent space economy.
- Scott Faris, CEO of Infleqtion, and Nebula Co-Founders Peter Stridh and Michael Bloxton, expressed their excitement about the partnership and its potential to accelerate the commercialisation of quantum technologies.
- The collaboration will also explore the integration of quantum with classical computing in orbital environments, quantum-secure communications, and quantum sensing.
- The aim is to begin space environmental demonstrations using quantum technologies in early 2024.