$18.6M NSF Award Funds UMD Quantum Internet Push

The National Science Foundation has awarded $18.6 million to the University of Maryland’s Center for Quantum Networks (CQN), which focuses on developing the technical and societal foundations of the emerging quantum internet. 

The four-year funding renewal supports CQN’s research on infrastructure designed to connect quantum computers, processors, sensors, transmitters, receivers, cameras and other quantum-enabled devices across local, metropolitan and long-distance networks. The award also underscores the commitment of UMD and the A. James Clark School of Engineering to build a nationally recognized hub for quantum research and development to catalyze the future of quantum technology.

“Making today’s digital communications infrastructure quantum-compatible will require a deeply transdisciplinary research and development effort—one that brings together fields as varied as materials science, spin physics, photonic engineering, quantum error correction, information theory and computer networking,” said CQN Director Saikat Guha, Clark Distinguished Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Centers (ERC) program, of which CQN is a part, provides a uniquely powerful framework for building such an enterprise by uniting academic researchers, industry partners, innovation programs and workforce development around a shared long-term vision, Guha said: “At CQN, we are privileged to lead the first quantum-technology center established in the history of the ERC program.”

CQN brings together computer scientists, electrical and optical engineers, networking researchers, atomic physicists, materials scientists, economists and social scientists. These experts are working to develop fault-tolerant quantum repeaters, which extend the range of quantum communications, and network architectures that can operate alongside—and ultimately interconnect with—the classical internet.

At the university level, the center is helping establish quantum information science and Engineering as a distinct interdisciplinary field. Through new curricula and educational programs, CQN is preparing a diverse workforce of quantum engineers capable of imagining, building and responsibly deploying future quantum-network applications.

A public-private partnership, CQN connects universities, companies, national laboratories, international collaborators and organizations focused on expanding participation in science and engineering. The center serves as a national hub for quantum-networking research, education, workforce development, technology translation and strategic roadmapping.

Just as today’s society has benefited from networked digital systems, the future will also require systems that will transmit, share and process quantum information—a network that will require many engineering breakthroughs, said Clark School Dean Samuel Graham.

“The University of Maryland, the Clark School and its partner institutions in CQN are at the forefront of this research and discovery, and we are excited that CQN’s renewal will continue our momentum,” Graham said. “We appreciate the NSF once again placing its trust in our innovative people and cutting-edge facilities and look forward to delivering more solutions to advance the state of the art in quantum systems.”