DARPA Advances Quantum Computing Reality Check: QBI Initiative Selects 11 Companies for Rigorous Validation

DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) is tackling the hype and skepticism surrounding quantum computing by rigorously verifying utility-scale quantum computing approaches. As of November 6, 2025, DARPA has chosen 11 companies to enter Stage B of the QBI program, each tasked with proving the viability and real-world utility of their quantum designs. The initiative’s multi-stage process, culminating in government-verified tests, aims to ensure that only genuinely useful quantum computers reach the market by 2033.

Stage A required companies to present a plausible utility-scale quantum computing plan. Those advancing to Stage B must demonstrate tangible research and development, risk mitigation, and functional prototypes. Stage C will see the government directly validate the operational utility of these systems. The selected companies represent a variety of approaches, from neutral atom and silicon-based designs to superconducting, trapped ion, and photonic systems, highlighting the diversity and global reach of quantum innovation.

The QBI’s outcome will have major implications for policy, research funding, and even cybersecurity, particularly in cryptography, where quantum-safe standards like NIST’s FIPS 203-206 are already being adopted by projects such as Midnight, aiming for quantum resistance. Notably, the program’s manager emphasizes that the next 10 years will define whether quantum computers fulfill their transformative promise or remain a distant dream, with definitive answers expected by 2027.

Source: YouTube – “Quantum Computers. Midnight, and DARPA's QBI” by Charles Hoskinson, Nov. 8, 2025