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Quantum Horizons: Q NEXT Vows £100 Million to Celebrate Five Years of Pioneering Research

As the worldwide battle for quantum leadership intensifies, the Q-NEXT quantum research center celebrates five years of significant discoveries that could alter information technology. The cooperation has advanced quantum information dissemination on microscopic and continental sizes by deploying silicon-based computers and achieving record-breaking qubit lifetimes.

Investment £100 million for the future

U.S. Department of Energy extends Q-NEXT center for five years, boosting its growth. UChicago-affiliated laboratories will lead next-generation quantum science with this $125 million funding and a similar renewal for Fermilab's SQMS program. This program aims to build long-distance quantum technology infrastructure.

Shortening Qubit Life

“Decoherence,” the tendency of quantum states to collapse when agitated, is the major hurdle to quantum computing. Q-NEXT researchers have examined this topic from multiple angles. A silicon-carbide qubit with a quantum state that can be read out on demand was preserved for almost five seconds by Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago.

Material structure research spurred innovation. By intentionally modifying the crystal structure, MIT and Northwestern University researchers enhanced the coherence duration of a molecular qubit to 10 microseconds, five times longer than symmetrical qubits. A trilayer niobium Josephson junction with a 150-fold longer coherence period than previous versions showed a “resurrection” of typical materials like superconductor-use niobium.

Quantum Materials Advance

New theoretical and practical methods accelerate the search for the “perfect” quantum material. Q-NEXT scientists released an equation that approximates coherence times for 12,000 molecules almost instantly. With this method, researchers can uncover viable materials without months of lab testing.

In hardware material integration, the cooperation has achieved several “firsts”:

Chromium-based molecular qubits can be precisely controlled by changing ligand field intensity, say MIT and Columbia researchers.

Hybrid Chips: Stanford researchers optimized photon transport with thin-film lithium niobate and diamond.

Nanotechnology helped Sandia National Laboratories and Argonne implant qubits into silicon carbide with atomic accuracy.

Transforming Sensing and Communication

Beyond computing, quantum technology could change our worldview. Q-NEXT invented transferable, tunable diamond membranes for quantum electronics. At the Advanced Photon Source, researchers used X-ray pictures to establish the mathematical relationship between a diamond's spin and microscopic strain, enabling highly accurate sensors.

In addition, signal precision and strength have improved. Stanford and Illinois were able to boost tin-based qubit signals and read their spin states with 87% accuracy in one shot. The biggest breakthrough is a tiny gadget that entangles light and electrons without super-cooling, which might democratize quantum technology for cryptography and AI.

Industry Partnerships and Silicon Milestone

A revolutionary quantum chemistry method to solve complex materials' mysteries

Localized Active Space

A new computational method for quantum chemistry was developed at the University of Chicago to reconcile physicists' and chemists' historically different perspectives on materials. By using the Localised Active Space (LAS) framework to periodic solids, this innovative method combines local quantum chemistry with global band theory to understand complex materials like organic semiconductors and high-temperature superconductors.

By accurately predicting local electronic activity and electron hopping across parts, the approach can predict how quantum mechanics affects transport characteristics in current materials. The researchers tested the technique on hydrogen chains and p–n junctions and believe it will be vital for developing high-quality materials in the future.

A University of Chicago computational method that combines two long-distance scientific viewpoints may help explain some of the world's most puzzling materials, from solar cell semiconductors to high-temperature superconductors. UChicago researchers may explain how quantum processes in contemporary materials cause transport properties.

Laura Gagliardi, senior author and Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor in Chemistry at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, says “chemists and physicists have used very different lenses to look at materials for decades.” “We have now developed a methodical approach to integrating those viewpoints,” she said, adding that this gives new tools to understand and build extraordinary materials.

Physicists study materials using huge, recurring band structures, while chemists study electrons in specific molecules or fragments. Metal-organic frameworks, organic semiconductors, and strongly correlated oxides are important materials that don't match either picture. Electrons in these materials jump between repeated fragments instead of being scattered.

Co-first author Daniel King said, “It is possible to accurately describe electrons on individual fragments, but you lose the global picture of how charges move across a material.” The new method squares the circle by modelling local fragments and recording electron hops.

The methodology is based on Research Assistant Professor Matthew Hermes' Localised Active Space (LAS) concept. Using the LAS framework for periodic materials, the researchers combined global band theory with local quantum chemistry.

The researchers tried the method in tough situations to prove its efficacy. Traditional density-function theory methods misclassify hydrogen chains as metals, making them difficult to predict. For more precise approaches, hydrogen chains must be insulators. The innovative Localised Active Space approach accurately showed how hydrogen chain electrons determine the material's insulator characteristics.

Another example was Localised Active Space simulation of a p–n junction, a vital feature of solar cells and computer processors. The technique successfully illustrated the previously difficult process of charges splitting and travelling across the junction when shown light.

Co-first author and fourth-year graduate student in the Gagliardi Group Bhavnesh Jangid called the findings “step one,” saying the technique accurately captures the correct physics. To improve the plan, the team will use various cutting-edge methods.

This method helps scientists understand and create novel materials. King says “at their core, all materials are quantum mechanical.” He noted that this is a significant step towards understanding how quantum mechanics drives everyday phenomena.

Argonne Quantum At the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) led networking, materials science, and large-scale simulation developments in the “Quantum Prairie.” In 2025, the DOE's Argonne National Laboratory strengthened America's research, technological, and security leadership. Innovative alliances and institutional changes allowed Argonne to expedite energy, medicine, and crucial materials discoveries by merging AI with world-class research facilities. Argonne's discoveries showed its dedication to national issues in a milestone year.

Argonne's $125 million Q-NEXT facility renewed its 2025 aim to transform quantum technology from lab research to infrastructure. Qubit length and Magnons Proficient Materials

DOE Reinvests $125 Million in Argonne-Led Q-NEXT Quantum Centre

Q-NEXT, a National Quantum Information Science Research Centre (NQISRC), will continue operating for five years thanks to DOE funding. Five NQISRCs, including Argonne National Laboratory-SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Q-NEXT, received continuing funding.

Q-NEXT will receive $125 million from DOE over five years. This effort develops expertise for connecting quantum technology over short and long distances. $25 million of renewal funds are set aside for fiscal year 2026; out-of-year funding depends on congressional appropriations. The DOE announced $625 million to renew its five NQISRCs.

The United States' leadership in quantum information research and technology is cemented by this commitment. Through coordinated, complementary collaboration with DOE's other quantum research centres, the revitalised Q-NEXT will play a critical role in the national quantum ecosystem, according to Argonne Director Paul Kearns, who also said that quantum technologies are driving innovation across society.

Revitalised Mission: Distributed Entanglement

The purpose of Q-NEXT is to seamlessly connect quantum and traditional information systems across optical networks to unlock quantum information's potential. From now on, the centre will showcase distributed quantum entanglement. Entanglement happens when qubits, the building blocks of quantum information, stay coupled over long distances.

Q-NEXT The centre is “building on the strong foundation laid over the past five years to take on a renewed mission, harnessing distributed entanglement to show what’s possible with scalable quantum platforms,” says director and Argonne scientist Martin Holt. Quantum technologies in optical networks would “open the door for systems capable of revolutionising how it processes, transmits, and receives information,” Holt said.

“Quantum information science is a cornerstone of the nation's technological future, with the potential to transform industries including computing, healthcare, and national security,” said Q-NEXT's founding director and current chief science officer, David Awschalom.

Three primary scientific goals

Q-NEXT prioritises three scientific goals to accelerate the construction of a quantum-connected world:

Communication: The centre aims to build reliable quantum communication networks to link devices across cities. Demonstrating algorithms that function on many quantum processors is a priority.

Sensing: Q-NEXT will use quantum entanglement to achieve unprecedented sensing precision. Entanglement improves measurement in quantum physics and gravitation, but the research will also have practical uses in navigation and medicine.

Materials: The effort will focus on new industrial-scale material incorporation methods. This requires tackling significant difficulties associated to merging quantum material systems with advanced functionality into practical quantum devices.

Q-NEXT According to Deputy Director Jennifer Dionne, quantum systems should work chip-to-chip, lab-to-lab, and city-to-city.

Building on Foundational Success

In 2020, Q-NEXT was founded. The centre led the creation of the Argonne and SLAC Quantum Foundries in its first five years. These two national institutions support a solid supply chain of standardised materials and equipment.

Q-NEXT, a silicon carbide-based qubit with a 5-second lifespan, was one of its earliest scientific successes. Researchers also created a high-performance qubit using niobium, an understudied core quantum material. Q-NEXT released A Roadmap for Quantum Interconnects, co-authored by 39 experts from 15 organisations. It describes the technological advances needed to spread quantum information in 10–15 years.

The centre conducts large-scale, team-based materials research, device engineering, and quantum physics theoretical projects using top-notch scientific equipment. This includes the Centre for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), and Advanced Photon Source (APS).

Wide-ranging partnerships boost innovation

The powerful and vibrant Q-NEXT centre partner network includes two DOE national laboratories, eleven premier institutions, and six tech enterprises. This cross-sector collaboration connects scientific discoveries to practical applications. Universities provide quantum communication and sensing expertise, and industry partners provide cutting-edge production facilities and prototypes.

Applied Materials, Caltech, Cornell University, IBM, Intel, IonQ, MIT, PsiQuantum, Quantum Opus, Stanford University, and the Universities of Chicago, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Iowa, and Wisconsin Madison are expected to join the partnership.

IBM and other industry partners believe this relationship is crucial to future computing. IBM Research Director Jay Gambetta says Q-NEXT uses optical lines to create effective quantum networks using IBM's quantum networking equipment. A future “quantum computing internet” might connect multiple fault-tolerant quantum computers over kilometres using this basic technique.

The project relies on SLAC and Stanford University's collaboration on a high-bandwidth quantum network. To solve challenges, this network connects atomic, superconducting, and solid-state qubits regardless of technology.

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