US Pentagon is requesting a new budget for Quantum Transition Acceleration project

The Office of the Secretary of Defence is requesting $75 million in fiscal 2024 for a new project called Quantum Transition Acceleration, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation and operationalisation of quantum devices for Pentagon purposes and mature the US supply chain underpinning the making of emerging quantum technologies. The Pentagon recognises the risk of the slowdown of technological maturation affiliated with quantum applications for defence, and the Quantum Transition Acceleration project seeks to alleviate these issues. The majority of the budget – $45 million – would be used to mature, demonstrate, and transition specific technologies. The remaining $30 million would focus on identifying, developing, and maturing critical components supporting technology for atomic clocks, quantum sensors, and quantum computers, and help accelerate the transition of laboratory-scale systems to manufacturable commercial products.

The department also projects that it will request $100 million per year in the fiscal 2025-2028 timeframe to continue pushing the project forward. The investment is key to help the US stay competitive with other nations in quantum computing and other quantum-enabled technologies with key national security implications.