Energy unveils plan to create scientifically-relevant quantum computer
Energy Secretary Chris Wright (R), accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump (L), speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on June 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The Energy Department aims to bring a fault-tolerant quantum computer to life via the new Quantum Genesis mission, with a focus on benefitting scientific research.
Following the signing of two landmark executive orders by President Donald Trump on Monday, the Energy Department unveiled a new mission focused on delivering a fault-tolerant quantum computer for scientific research.
The Quantum Genesis mission, announced on Tuesday, seeks to deploy the first cryptographically-relevant quantum computer to support U.S. leadership in both the quantum technology and scientific research landscapes.
While quantum computing efforts have received major attention in the public and private sectors in recent years, bringing a truly viable quantum computer to operational capability is extremely difficult and requires a combination of robust hardware and software that can handle its specific type of processing units — known as qubits — to generate meaningful outputs.
Through Quantum Genesis, the government is hoping to beat adversarial nations in the race to develop and deploy a quantum computer that can handle advanced calculations and data processing through new research resources.
“Scientific discovery is one of the most powerful drivers of human flourishing, and quantum computing has the potential to dramatically accelerate that discovery,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement. “Through Quantum Genesis, we are bringing together America’s National Laboratories, universities, and private sector innovators to develop and deploy the world’s first scientifically relevant fault-tolerant quantum computing capability. America led the last computing revolution, and we intend to lead the quantum age as well.”
To reach a level of basic functionality, quantum computers will need robust error correction methods to accurately process data. The Genesis Mission is looking to develop strong logical qubits, or groupings of error-corrected physical qubits, to bring its computer to life. Alongside the announcement, the agency released a request for information and is looking to develop a “scientifically-relevant” fault-tolerant quantum computer that operates on 150-250 logical qubits by 2028.
Quantum Genesis also creates a new user facility that offers U.S. scientists and engineers access to current quantum computing systems of various modalities and architectures to further spur research and development in the field. This facility will complement Energy’s current exascale computing infrastructure to bring artificial intelligence and high-performance computing tools into research efforts.
The program’s final effort will also call on Energy to conduct “targeted research and development” to identify applications of scientifically-relevant quantum computing, with participants coming from academia, the national laboratory apparatus and industry to define and advance high-impact use cases for quantum computers.
“Just as telescopes allowed us to explore the cosmos, advanced quantum computers will enable us to peer into the fundamental laws of nature with unparalleled precision," Energy Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil said in a statement. "This transformative opportunity for scientific discovery, deeply intertwined with advancements in AI enabled by the Genesis Mission, will be powered by DOE’s unique system of User Facilities, research centers, and partnerships that have laid the foundation for this next era of discovery.”