The NSF Pushes Integrated Quantum Systems Toward ‘Final Mile’ 

Led by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Project Triad is designed to create the first-ever system where quantum sensing, quantum networking and quantum computing create an information-gathering, transmission and processing environment that maintains the quantum coherence of information throughout the entire system. 

“The goals of Triad, this initiative, are definitely first of its kind because we’ve worked many years on communication, sensing and computing in the quantum realm, but I think this is the first time that we try to bring all of it together, and I think that will be really transformational,” Saul Gonzalez, deputy head of the NSF’s Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, said in a recent SIGNAL Media interview.

The primary benefits, he added, will be in areas requiring measurements. “Any application that involves measurement and possibly comparing that measurement with some model, because our concept is that we use these very precise quantum sensors which can sense many things very precisely with great fidelity, and pass that information through a fully quantum system, preserving all of the quote-unquote ‘quantumness’ of the system and the measurement,” Gonzalez explained. 

Potentially, the information from the sensors will be passed to a quantum computer that could be running a model to interpret the data. “And the beauty of this is that it maximally preserves information that has been acquired by the sensors,” he elaborated. “You could deploy sensor networks that are connected via quantum communications. You could deploy them on a field, on a mountain, on an area of geologic interest for some reason, and you could then be running a model in a computer, and you could be transferring that information real time.” 

“Anything we do that requires measurement, and there are many, will be transformed by this. There are applications in health care, for example, imaging, very precise imaging. Put that [sensor] on a human, and you can measure many things and develop diagnostics, work on developing precision medicines for that individual,” Gonzalez continued. “Also, the energy sector in mining, navigation. You could be looking for minerals, or you could be in the gas and oil exploration business, and so that really would give you an advantage in terms of looking for these things. And to me, the most exciting ones are the ones we haven’t even thought of yet that might be lurking out there that we will discover as we advance the technology.”

In addition, all NSF research carries implications for national security. “As we know, quantum communication is inherently secure, and so that’s definitely one application. Another application is position, navigation and timing, PNT, where you could have a network of sensors—not just one sensor,  the typical thing determining the actual position—but sensors that actually sense anything that’s going on in your environment, and be totally connected and possibly fed through to an off-field computing system,” Gonzalez offered. “And yes, cyber. “The nature of quantum communications is that if there is an external, unexpected disturbance on the system, you basically lose all that information in the link at that time. So that is a very natural way ... [it] is inherently cyber secure.” 

Usually, quantum technology research also requires classical computers, which, of course, are more widely used. “We live in the classical world, so that information needs to go from classical to quantum, then back to classical. It’s the back-to-classical that can be a problem because there’s a lot more information in the health of the quantumness of the system,” Gonzalez offered, adding that Project Triad aims to cut out that classical computer middleman. 

“We have sensors on one side, we have communication links in between, and then we have that information being fed possibly to the quantum computer. So what that means is the information is actually not degraded. The full complement of information gets actually transmitted to the computer, and then there’s a lot of information that takes place that is collected, that includes correlations from different sensors and different locations that could potentially be lost by an intermediate conversion to a classical domain.” 

The NSF website explains that Project Triad is needed now to provide a viable path for the United States to unlock unprecedented capabilities as the global competition in quantum science and technology increases. “Computer chips have become more powerful over the last several decades by packing more and more transistors in each chip, but that previously rapid improvement has now slowed. That’s because current technologies are based largely on classical physics and are constrained by power consumption, cooling capacity and fundamental physical limits,” the site says.
“However, emerging technologies based on quantum mechanics are not subject to some of those limitations—and can potentially do what even the most advanced classical technology never could.”

Gonzalez pointed to recent advances in quantum technologies to explain why now is the right time to push for a fully integrated quantum system. “The ability to control atoms, I think that has been one of the major ones, and just on the compute side, just in five years there’s been new architectures developed that now are viable, like neutral atoms and things like that,” he offered. “I think that has really focused a lot of the research and a lot of the industry interest because they know that it’s coming and it’s inevitable. So everybody wants to get ready.”

He compared the state of quantum systems to the revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence (AI). 

“It’s a good example, not a perfect example, but a good example. So much like AI went through a revolution relatively recently, due to several key advances: the availability of HPC [high-performance computing] and graphic processors and some algorithmic advances that they had, and look where we are now. I think we are really approaching a similar transformational moment in the quantum technology space.”

He also cited increasing interest from the scientific community and from industry. “All you have to do is look around, see the number of researchers, startup companies—many started with NSF investments—and even investment by large companies, to know that this is definitely the right time.” 

He also cited President Donald Trump’s June 22 Executive Order 14413—Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation—as a major catalyst for Project Triad. “That is telling all the agencies in the government to work together to bring benefits to the nation in quantum systems. The whole realm—communication, sensing and computing. So, it’s a great time to be doing this, and Triad is very fully aligned to that because it’s pushing all the frontiers from a technical perspective.”

The NSF identified three existing programs to partner on Triad. The NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NSF NQVL) will deliver Project Triad’s proof-of-concept integrated quantum system for experimentation and testing. Now in the design phase, the NSF plans to accelerate several NQVL projects from design to implementation by December, subject to the availability of funds. The NSF X-Labs are independent teams of researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs pursuing milestone-based federal funding to solve specific scientific challenges, including quantum systems involving interconnects and photonics. Such technology will play a critical part in enabling integrated quantum systems to transfer quantum information between devices. Lastly, NSF Quantum+X will work directly with industry to identify promising use cases and potential applications for integrated quantum technology. The NSF is now actively seeking partnerships for the launch of an initial set of Quantum+X funding tracks that could span the energy, finance, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, among others.

Gonzalez indicated that Project Triad might develop test beds or prototypes, but the private sector will need to push integrated quantum systems over the finish line from lab to deployment. “The hope is that then these things get picked up by the private sector because they’re really the only ones who can scale it up and deploy it and actually bring the real benefit. It’s the last mile of bringing benefit to all Americans.” 

Image

An illustration depicts the components of an integrated quantum system designed to forecast earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other seismic events. A network of distributed atomic clocks detects changes under the surface of the Earth. The sensor information is transmitted via satellite to a quantum computer, which does the complex calculations necessary to determine the likelihood and severity of seismic events.
Credit: Alice Kitterman/U.S. National Science Foundation