The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), based at the University of Maryland, selected IonQ, a leader in quantum computing, to design and install a unique system researchers will use to advance the use of quantum computers in national security.
The University of Maryland awarded the quantum computing hardware and software company a $5.7 million contract for initial work on the project, with a potential second phase worth up to $12 million. Multiple vendors competed for the award during the open solicitation announced in December.
“The purpose of the project is to help mature quantum computers to the point where they reliably support national security,” said Craig Lawrence, Ph.D and interim ARLIS Executive Director. “There is significant research and development that is needed before the defense and intelligence community can reach that goal.”
The University of Maryland has long been a global center of excellence in quantum science and computing and is home to one of the laboratories out of which IonQ emerged. Under the new agreement with ARLIS, IonQ will design and build a two-node quantum computing system that will enable hands-on research into multi-party quantum algorithms and the cybersecurity of quantum computation. In some experiments, the system will use blind quantum computing protocols to shield the information processed through them.
This effort began in 2023 with an $18-million award to the University of Maryland by the Secretary of the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management Office (SAF/CDM) that helped ARLIS to begin work on the Securing Experimental Quantum Computing Usage in Research Environments (SEQCURE) program. The project follows a 2022 national security memorandum outlining the steps needed to maintain the country’s competitive advantage in quantum information science. The guidance also calls for mitigating future risks of quantum computers to the nation’s cyber, economic, and national security.
The SEQCURE project has multiple milestones that include several design, security, technical, and algorithm reviews before the end of 2024, with an optional second phase of work starting next year.
Located in UMD’s Discovery District, ARLIS is one of 15 designated Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) around the nation and the only UARC dedicated to intelligence and security in the human domain. Established in 2018, ARLIS serves as a trusted adviser to the government, providing essential applied research and development in human, culture, and social systems, data, and advanced and emerging technology for intelligence and security.