DOE Panel Ties Future National Quantum Facility to Proof of Scientific Use

Insider Brief A DOE advisory panel proposed a 2026–2028 quantum grand-challenge program to demonstrate independently validated scientific uses of fault-tolerant quantum computing before considering a national user facility.

A second phase could create a DOE Quantum Computing User Facility if the early demonstrations show sufficient scientific utility, technical maturity and user demand.

The third phase would integrate quantum computing with DOE supercomputers, artificial intelligence systems, scientific instruments, networks and experiments.

The committee was charged with developing a roadmap toward scientifically useful, fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2028 and a longer-term vision for a DOE Quantum Computing User Facility.

The ultimate purpose of a DOE Quantum Computing User Facility is not simply to maximize quantum hardware performance, but to maximize scientific discovery,” the committee writes.