The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing more than $290 million in eight Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, expanding a program launched under the National Quantum Initiative Act. Three newly formed centers join five renewed institutes tackling fault tolerance, hybrid architectures, and quantum sensing. The awards support researchers at 36 institutions and partnerships with more than 30 companies.
Yale University has completed an optical facility in New Haven forming the third facility in a free-space optical quantum link with Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The demonstrated 13-mile Stony Brook–Brookhaven leg has transmitted quantum states and entangled photons through open air, adding wireless capability to the 161-mile fiber network. Technical details on adaptive optics, the forthcoming 30-mile Q-LATS connection, and SCY-QNet integration show the path toward extended entanglement distribution across Long Island Sound.
The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, HPE, and Rigetti Computing will construct TangleLab, a hybrid quantum-classical supercomputing testbed funded by a $5 million NSF grant. The system integrates a 9-qubit Rigetti Novera QPU with HPE classical HPC hardware. Construction begins September 1, 2026, with operations expected in 2027. The testbed supports research, education, and hybrid workflow development.