The United States government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the 11 quantum computing companies selected to advance to Stage B of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI).

The program aims to determine whether it's possible to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer within a decade and if any quantum computing approach can achieve utility-scale operation by 2033.

The companies that have advanced thus far are Atom Computing, Diraq, IBM, IonQ, Nord Quantique, Photonic Inc., Quantinuum, Quantum Motion, QuEra Computing, Silicon Quantum Computing, and Xanadu.

Stage A participants missing from the list are Alice & Bob, Atlantic Quantum – now a part of Google Quantum AI, HPE, Oxford Ionics – recently acquired by IonQ, and Rigetti, although DARPA said that doesn’t necessarily mean those companies won’t advance to Stage B.

Where the first phase of the program focused on delivering detailed technical specifications for a utility-scale quantum computer concept, Stage B calls for a thorough evaluation of the research and development behind the proposed utility-scale quantum computer concept, with the process expected to last about a year.

"During Stage B, we'll thoroughly review all aspects of their R&D plans to see if they can go the distance — not just meet next year's milestones — and stand the test of trying to build a transformative technology on this kind of a timeline," Joe Altepeter, DARPA QBI program manager said back in April when the initial cohort of companies was announced. "Those who make it through Stages A and B will enter the final portion of the program, Stage C, where a full-size IV&V team will conduct real-time, rigorous evaluation of the components, subsystems, and algorithms – everything that goes into building a fault-tolerant quantum computer for real. And we’ll do all these evaluations without slowing the companies down."

DARPA has previously said QBI is not a competition between companies but instead is looking to evaluate the current landscape of commercial quantum computing efforts and “spot every company on a plausible path to a useful quantum computer.”