# DARPA Advances Four Firms to QBI Stage C

On October 8, 2026, DARPA advanced Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, and IonQ to Stage C of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). Government evaluators will assess whether the companies’ proposed quantum systems can be built and operated as designed; this is a technical evaluation milestone, not an award to all four firms. IonQ separately disclosed a Stage C agreement worth up to $300 million through 2029, subject to future appropriations and DARPA funding actions. DARPA is targeting utility-scale quantum computing by 2033 and expects additional Stage A selections, leaving a potential entry point for other teams through the Stage A solicitation.

- The four selected firms are advancing to a buildability and performance assessment; contractors should not treat Stage C selection as equivalent to a funded contract award.
- IonQ’s agreement is valued at **up to $300 million**, but future funding depends on appropriations and DARPA actions. Firms assessing comparable opportunities should account for that funding contingency.
- Companies not in Stage C may still pursue the Stage A entry point. The signals provide no submission deadline, solicitation number, or contract value for that opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

### Vendors
- Atom Computing (Selected Stage C performer)
- Diraq (Selected Stage C performer)
- IBM (Selected Stage C performer)
- IonQ (Selected Stage C performer)

### Key Quotes
> The quantum computing field is moving quickly, and we increasingly expect that someone will build a utility-scale quantum computer by 2033. What we don’t yet know is which team or teams, or which technical approach or approaches, will get there. That is exactly why QBI is evaluating each path on its own merits and continuing to bring promising new approaches into the initiative.
> — Micah Stoutimore, QBI Managing Director

### Sources
- [DARPA Adds 4 Companies to QBI's Final Stage](https://www.govconwire.com/articles/darpa-quantum-benchmarking-initiative-stage-c) - GovCon Wire
- [DARPA adds four organizations to QBI Stage C - Intelligence Community News](https://intelligencecommunitynews.com/darpa-adds-four-organizations-to-qbi-stage-c/) - Intelligence Community News
- [Four more teams enter Quantum Benchmarking Initiative’s final stage | DARPA](https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/four-more-teams-enter-quantum-benchmarking-initiative-final-stage) - Darpa