The University of Maryland (UMD), DARPA, and the State of Maryland have launched a joint effort to evaluate quantum computing systems for national security and commercial applications.

The Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub will be based at UMD’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). This undertaking is part of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, which aims to verify whether any quantum computing approach can achieve an industrially useful quantum computer by 2033.

“Nearly 20 quantum computing companies have been chosen to enter the initial stage of DARPA’s QBI,” the announcement states. During this phase, companies will outline concepts for “creating a useful, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2033,” and the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub “will help recruit crucial expertise to rigorously examine these approaches and determine whether any can achieve utility-scale operation.”

Learn more at ARLIS.