Q‑NEXT is a U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center that coordinates a network of national labs, universities, and industry partners to advance distributed‑entanglement science and engineering. It operates full‑stack quantum foundries at Argonne and SLAC, providing rapid fabrication and testing of semiconductor, superconducting, and photonic qubits, and demonstrates entanglement‑based quantum communication, computing, and sensing prototypes.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current quantum information technologies lack scalable methods for generating, distributing, and utilizing entanglement across distances, limiting the development of high‑performance quantum computing, sensing, and secure communication systems.
Solution
Q‑NEXT is a U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center that coordinates a network of national laboratories, universities, and industry partners to advance distributed‑entanglement science and engineering. The center conducts research on three interrelated fronts: networked integration of entanglement for quantum communication and distributed computing, entanglement‑enhanced sensing that surpasses the standard quantum limit, and physical integration of heterogeneous quantum materials into prototype devices. By operating the Argonne Quantum Foundry and the SLAC Superconducting Quantum Foundry, Q‑NEXT provides full‑stack fabrication, rapid characterization, and standardized processes for semiconductor, superconducting, and photonic qubits. These capabilities enable the demonstration of entanglement purification, chip‑to‑chip quantum links, and scalable sensor arrays, delivering proof‑of‑concept systems that illustrate the potential of entanglement‑enabled information processing.
Target Audience
Primary stakeholders include federal research agencies, national laboratories, university quantum‑information groups, and industry partners developing quantum processors, sensors, and secure communication solutions.
Features
- Full‑stack quantum foundries (Argonne and SLAC) offering rapid, in‑house fabrication of semiconductor and superconducting qubits on 150 mm wafers
- Integrated testbeds including dilution refrigerators, low‑temperature and optical characterization labs for fast qubit performance evaluation
- Research programs on entanglement purification, quantum networking protocols, and distributed quantum algorithms for chip‑to‑chip and city‑scale links
- Development of entanglement‑enhanced sensors with sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit across length scales from nanometers to tens of kilometers
- Heterogeneous integration of disparate quantum materials (e.g., superconducting with semiconducting) to create compact, high‑performance quantum devices compatible with existing information systems
- Collaborative framework linking national labs, 11 universities, and six technology companies to accelerate technology transfer and commercialization