D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) has been selected to receive a $1.57 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research into fault-tolerant quantum computing, reinforcing broader efforts to strengthen the United States’ position in next-generation computing technologies.
The grant, valued at $1,566,250, is being awarded through the NSF’s National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) program. It will fund D-Wave’s participation in the ERASE (Erasure Qubits and Dynamic Circuits for Quantum Advantage) project, a collaborative initiative focused on developing scalable quantum computing technologies capable of overcoming one of the industry’s biggest technical challenges—error correction.
The project is led by Yale University and brings together researchers from academic institutions and industry partners to advance dual-rail gate-model quantum computing. Research will span hardware, software, quantum error correction and application development, with the aim of accelerating progress toward practical, large-scale quantum systems.
As part of the collaboration, D-Wave’s Connecticut-based subsidiary, Quantum Circuits LLC, will provide researchers with access to its superconducting dual-rail gate-model quantum computing platform. The project has now entered the second phase of the NQVL program following continued NSF support.
D-Wave said researchers will use the company’s development interfaces and application programming interfaces (APIs) to evaluate new software tools, compiler technologies and error-correction techniques designed to improve the performance and scalability of gate-model quantum computers.
Fault tolerance remains one of the most significant barriers to commercial quantum computing. Quantum systems are highly sensitive to noise and operational errors, making effective error correction essential before they can reliably solve complex industrial and scientific problems beyond the capabilities of classical computers.
In addition to technology development, the ERASE program includes workforce development initiatives aimed at expanding the pool of quantum computing researchers and engineers through collaboration between universities and industry.
The latest award builds on growing U.S. government support for D-Wave’s quantum computing programs. Earlier this year, the company announced it had signed a non-binding Letter of Intent for up to $100 million in proposed funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to accelerate development of both its annealing and gate-model quantum computing platforms.
The NSF-backed project also strengthens D-Wave’s relationship with Yale University. The dual-rail quantum technology used in the company’s gate-model systems originated from research at Yale and was further developed through Quantum Circuits Inc., the startup acquired by D-Wave in 2022.
