DOE Announces Science Applications for Quantum Computing

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the release of Quantum Genesis Priority Applications (QGPAs), a set of eight key scientific utility problems that will guide the Quantum Genesis's goal of developing fault-tolerant scientifically relevant quantum computers. This effort directly supports the goals outlined in President Trump's Executive Order Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation and builds on the recommendations made in the Blueprint for DOE Quantum Supercomputing and the Office of Science Advisory Committee's Quantum Report.  

The QGPAs will serve as beacons for the quantum applications community, provide a concrete basis for judging the "scientific relevance" of fault-tolerant quantum computers, and coordinate the hardware, software, and domain science R&D needed to realize new scientific advances not otherwise possible today. These Priority Applications, along with the other elements of Quantum Genesis, will bring domain scientists from across disciplines into direct partnership with quantum researchers. Together, they will integrate quantum computing into real-world scientific workflows and benchmark performance against today's most advanced supercomputing methods. 

"The Quantum Genesis Priority Applications are a bold declaration of how quantum computing capabilities will open up new scientific frontiers," said DOE Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil. "DOE has long been committed to this field, and this is both about realizing fault-tolerant quantum computing as a scientific instrument and unleashing the discoveries it will enable."

The QGPAs are organized into four domains, each reflecting a key aspect of DOE's mission: 

• Chemistry, modeling the reaction mechanisms and dynamics in complicated chemical systems such as light-sensitive processes. 
• Materials, understanding ground state and dynamics of quantum materials and materials in extreme environments, like topological or superconducting systems. 
• Subatomic physics, simulating the interactions that create protons and neutrons, the structure of atomic nuclei, and matter at high densities such as fusion reactions. 
• Applied mathematics, solving the systems of linear and differential equations that underpin large portions of science. 

Within these domains, the QGPAs identify eight applications and provide examples of target computations in each application. Additionally, DOE is monitoring a range of emerging applications, where fault-tolerant quantum computing literature is still early but where future impact is possible, such as in plasma physics, biochemistry, and optimization. 

DOE will use the Quantum Genesis Priority Applications to inform the execution of the three pillars of the Quantum Genesis: the Q Competition, a National Quantum Computing User Facility, and focused research on applications of fault-tolerant quantum computers. In parallel, DOE is working in collaboration with interagency partners, including Department of War, the Laboratory of Physical Sciences, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on broader efforts to advance quantum applications.

For more information, visit the Quantum Genesis webpage.