The US DOE just started the Quantum Genesis Q Competition. This is a new project to speed up work on building the world’s first fault-tolerant quantum computers that can actually do important science work.
The DOE is putting up $215 million into this program. Their goal is to move quantum computers past the stage where they just show off the technology, to a point where they are actually useful for science.
The competition asks private companies to pitch ideas for quantum computers with at least 100 logical qubits. These computers should be able to run hundreds of millions of operations, without mistakes. The DOE says systems like this could help solve complex problems in chemistry, materials, physics, and math, problems we cannot solve right now.
Quantum Genesis Q Sets 100 Logical Qubits as the Starting Point
The competition has two phases. In Phase I, companies can receive up to $1.5 million each if they hit certain early targets. Phase II has bigger rewards, based on what the quantum computers can actually do. There is a $100 million pool set aside for companies that manage to build a scientifically useful quantum computer with at least 100 logical qubits.
ANNOUNCING: The Quantum Genesis Q Competition. HTTPS://T.CO/RUCJJRUKUH
— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
There are also two bonus pools. Each one is $50 million. One is for systems that reach 150 logical qubits, and the other is for those that reach 200 logical qubits. The focus on logical qubits is a big deal here.
The DOE does not just want a machine with a lot of qubits, they want functional systems that can do hundreds of millions of error-free operations and run real science programs. Basically, they want quantum computers researchers can really use for their calculations.
The competition is open to private sector companies. Planned funding is up to $215 million, including $2.5 million already set aside for the 2026 fiscal year. The rest depends on future decisions by Congress.
DOE will hold an online informational session on September 25, 2026, at 1:00 pm Eastern Time for any companies who want to learn more or have questions. Applications for the competition are due by October 19, 2026.
DOE Plans $45 Million Validation Program for National Laboratories
At the same time, the DOE is creating a separate program for checking and testing quantum computer systems. This program, the Quantum High Performance Computing Validation and Verification Testbed Lab Call, is for DOE National Laboratories.
The DOE says that if you want to make a quantum computer useful for real science, you need ways to test every part of it. That means the hardware, the quantum operations, how it is built, the algorithms it runs, and how the classical control systems work.
This lab program has $45 million in planned funding, including $14 million already put aside for 2026. Like the competition, more funding in later years will depend on Congress. Only DOE National Laboratories can apply for this program.
The purpose of this validation program is to create infrastructure to support the Quantum Genesis Q Competition. Instead of just building hardware, this program will help make sure we have the tools to check and test every piece of a full quantum computing system.
The DOE says this competition supports President Biden’s Executive Order on advancing quantum technology. It also follows ideas from the DOE’s Blueprint for Quantum Supercomputing and advice from the Office of Science Advisory Committee.
Under Secretary for Science Dario Gil said the competition is about creating new computing abilities through partnerships between the government and private companies. The DOE wants this project to help make quantum computers that can do things scientists have only theorised before.
The DOE’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research is running both the Quantum Genesis Q Competition and the lab test program. These two programs give money to private companies to build advanced quantum computers, and to national labs to make sure those computers really work.
