NSF Renews $37.5M Quantum Simulation Institute

The National Science Foundation has renewed the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS) with a five-year award expected to total $37.5 million, effective Sept. 1, launching a new phase of quantum simulation research.

Established in 2021, anchored at University of Maryland (UMD), and co-led by Duke University and Princeton University, NSF RQS has developed novel ways to verify quantum systems, reduce errors and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated quantum simulations while building a collaborative community of scientists, engineers, educators and students.

The new award expands the institute’s scientific and education programs, while also strengthening partnerships across academia, federal laboratories and industry. This forward-looking strategy positions NSF RQS to pursue the next generation of challenges in quantum simulation. Harvard University will join NSF RQS, growing the team that also includes Yale University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

NSF RQS is part of the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (QLCI) program, a network of interdisciplinary research centers created to accelerate advances in quantum information science through collaborative research, education and workforce development.

“For more than four decades, NSF has been laying the foundational groundwork of research and discovery that is powering today’s modern quantum computing, sensing and communication,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “It’s time for focused activities to leverage that base of knowledge to drive us even farther forward to the benefit of all Americans. The NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes are a next step for us in understanding the quantum world we live in.”

With the new award, NSF RQS researchers will continue to advance the science of robust quantum simulation, bringing it closer to becoming a practical tool for scientific discovery. Quantum simulation is widely viewed as one of the first practical applications of quantum computing. Rather than trying to make every type of computation faster, quantum simulators are designed to model extraordinarily complex quantum systems that overwhelm even today’s most powerful conventional computers.

“Quantum simulators enable us to study quantum systems the same way a wind tunnel allows us to test wings without building a whole airplane,” said Kenneth Brown, the Michael J. Fitzpatrick Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, director of the Duke Quantum Center, and Duke’s principal investigator for the NSF RQS. “The Duke Quantum Center has the most advanced academic ion trap systems, and we look forward to working with our collaborators to push the boundaries of what can be simulated on quantum devices.”

The challenge is making those simulations trustworthy. Today’s quantum hardware is inherently fragile, with environmental disturbances introducing errors that can undermine calculations. NSF RQS was established to develop ways to verify quantum simulations, mitigate those errors and, in some cases, even harness them, ultimately making quantum simulation a more reliable research tool.

“Our institute’s first five years helped establish the scientific foundation for robust quantum simulation,” said Mohammad Hafezi, a UMD Minta Martin Professor with joint appointments in physics and electrical and computer engineering, who will direct this next phase of RQS . “This renewal allows us to tackle increasingly complex scientific problems while advancing quantum technologies capable of answering fundamental questions about nature.”

For the next phase, NSF RQS will shift toward what institute leaders call “quantum simulation engineering”—developing quantum technologies that are increasingly scalable and capable of addressing important scientific problems. For example, the collaboration will use simulation to advance our understanding of the particles that make up matter and how quantum systems interact with their surroundings.

“Quantum simulation is a promising application for near-term processors, and we will likely see impact in areas of theoretical physics first,” added Crystal Noel, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke, and one of Duke’s seven faculty members affiliated with NSF RQS. “I am excited that this new phase of NSF RQS will let us pursue these simulations in our state-of-the-art quantum processors right here at the Duke Quantum Center.”

The renewed award will also continue the institute’s outreach efforts in teacher development workshops, public outreach, K–12 quantum education programs, research seminars and summer schools while creating new opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers to prepare for careers throughout the quantum workforce.

“We are at the cusp of determining exactly what quantum computers can and cannot do in the near future,” Hafezi said. “Realizing that potential will require vibrant partnerships among universities, federal laboratories and private industry, and we’re grateful for this renewed support to help lead that effort.”