The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a program that focuses on establishing testable metrics for assessing progress in quantum computing research.
DARPA said Friday the Quantum Benchmarking program seeks to identify the returns on investment into quantum research, establish metrics with a multidimensional scope and deploy “wind tunnels” designed to support diagnostics for testable quantum computing metrics.
The agency also intends to produce estimates for traditional and quantum resources including complex algorithms and standard hardware. The agency plans to hold a webinar on the benchmarking effort over the coming weeks.
Joe Altepeter, a program manager at the Defense Sciences Office at DARPA, noted that the agency’s focus is geared toward developing “large, fault-tolerant quantum computers”.
“Building a useful quantum computer is really hard, and it's important to make sure we're using the right metrics to guide our progress towards that goal,” he said.
