# DOE Launches Quantum Genesis Competition

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Quantum Genesis Q Competition, offering up to **$215 million** in milestone-based funding to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers with at least 100 logical qubits by 2028. This competition targets private sector companies and includes a structured two-phase award process with bonus incentives to drive deployment of advanced quantum computing systems for scientific research. Concurrently, DOE is investing **$45 million** in a separate lab call for national laboratories to develop hardware-agnostic verification and validation tools to benchmark quantum computing performance, supporting DOE and other federal agencies' quantum initiatives. Key procurement dates include a virtual informational webinar on September 25, 2026, and final application submissions due October 19, 2026.

- **Why this matters:** This competition represents a significant federal investment to position U.S. industry and national labs at the forefront of quantum computing technology, creating opportunities for contractors specializing in quantum hardware, software, and validation tools.
- Procurement professionals should note the milestone-based award structure and incentive pools totaling up to $150 million, which encourage phased development and performance demonstration.
- The lab call for verification and validation tools offers additional contracting opportunities for national laboratories and their partners, with letters of intent due September 30, 2026, and full proposals by November 10, 2026.
- Companies and labs interested in quantum computing should prioritize participation in the upcoming informational webinar and prepare proposals aligned with DOE's scientific and technical requirements to maximize funding potential.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Energy & Utilities, Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Contracting Vehicles, Digital Infrastructure, Cloud Services
**Published:** September 18, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Office of Science
- DOE Office of Science
- Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research

### Key Quotes
> Because we don't know what the answer is in terms of what modalities we’ll be able to realize [as early as 2028, the goal] is to allow teams to form and to set up a competition where there would be a reward function in that competition, depending on the scale of what gets demonstrated.
> — Darío Gil, Undersecretary for Science

> The Energy Department is pushing the boundaries of computing power, AI adoption, and advanced compute infrastructure.
> — Dawn Zimmer, DOE Chief Information Officer

### Sources
- [Energy launches quantum computer development competition - Nextgov/FCW](https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2026/09/energy-launches-quantum-computer-development-competition/416050) - Nextgov/FCW
- [Energy competition aims to ‘maximize’ US chances in quantum race | FedScoop](https://fedscoop.com/quantum-genesis-q-competition-energy-department) - FedScoop
- [DOE Opens $215M Quantum Genesis Competition for Fault-Tolerant Systems – MeriTalk](https://www.meritalk.com/articles/doe-opens-215m-quantum-genesis-competition-for-fault-tolerant-systems) - meritalk.com