USRA Part of Winning Team Selected by DOE to Advance Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Energy today announced the renewal of the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center for $125 million for five years awarded to Fermilab to lead the national Center, one of the five DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Centers established under the National Quantum Initiative.
Quantum technologies are essential to national competitiveness in computing, energy and security and SQMS bridges the gap between fundamental science and engineering translating research into real-world applications. Fermilab and its partners including the Universities Space Research Association, national labs, universities and industry partners are shaping a national quantum ecosystem.
SQMS 2.0 will develop and deploy beyond state-of-the-art quantum systems for computing, sensing, and communication. Its impact will include:
- World-leading computational capabilities: Advance hybrid chip–cavity systems and multi-level qubits for powerful, scalable computation.
- Scalable, resilient quantum systems: Build the infrastructure for large-scale quantum networks and cryogenic data centers.
- U.S. scientific and energy leadership: Use new quantum technologies to transform simulation, sensing, and materials research.
In the next phase, SQMS will use ultra-high coherence SRF cavities and scalable cryogenics to address some of quantum technologies' most significant hurdles. The program focuses on three major goals:
- Chip-based materials and device breakthroughs
- Development of a 100-plus-qudit SRF quantum processor at Fermilab
- Demonstration of the first scalable quantum data-center unit
The Universities Space Research Association has played a significant role as part of the NASA team and has been a core partner of the Center since its inception, contributing to the development of novel algorithmic techniques and hardware design. In SQMS 2.0, the USRA Quantum Team will continue to support NASA's Quantum AI Lab activities at the Center, as well as advancing quantum machine learning and quantum optimization algorithmic applications using SQMS hardware.
Dr. Davide Venturelli, Associate Director for Quantum Technologies and principal investigator of the SQMS effort at USRA stated, "SQMS has set incredibly ambitious goals in demonstrating novel quantum computing technology for the most demanding scientific use cases in High-Energy Physics and beyond. We are excited to be part of this team and look forward to providing research expertise in synergy with our projects, collaborations, partners, and university members."
About USRA
Universities Space Research Association (USRA) operates scientific institutes and facilities and conducts other major research and educational programs. It is a consortium with 121 university members. USRA engages the broader university community, employs in-house scientific talent, and offers innovative research, development, and project management expertise.
Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, USRA is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.
The quantum team at RIACS was established in 2012 to perform applied research in quantum simulation, optimization and machine learning in collaboration with industry and academia.
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SOURCE Universities Space Research Association
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