Quantum computing firm PsiQuantum has signed a $10.8 million contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to support research into quantum photonics.
The deal builds on a partnership established in 2022 and will see AFRL receive access to PsiQuantum’s high-performance Barium Titanate (BTO) Electro-Optic phase shifters, to be integrated into AFRL-designed optical circuits.
PsiQuantum, which says its 300mm BTO material is the world’s highest-performing electro-switch material, will also provide AFRL with quantum circuit components. Once the chips are completed, AFRL will validate their capabilities to address use cases within the Air Force.
“The team at AFRL has long understood the value of cutting-edge silicon photonics, and we are grateful to continue our work with the lab to deliver our state-of-the-art quantum chip capabilities to the US Air Force,” said Jeremy O’Brien, PsiQuantum co-founder and CEO.
“This partnership will enable PsiQuantum to share our technology, which is manufactured in a world-class, high-volume semiconductor fab, with AFRL to validate and explore future applications that would benefit the US Air Force. As the global race for utility-scale quantum computing continues, this kind of collaboration could not be more important, and we’re thrilled to be able to partner with technical leaders across the U.S. government who share our vision.”
Founded in 2016, PsiQuantum says its mission is to “build and deploy the world’s first useful quantum computer.” The company, which counts Australia's O’Brien and Terry Rudolph amongst its co-founders, claims to have a “fast and feasible path to large-scale fault-tolerant systems” by using existing technologies, such as high-power cryogenic systems.
In February 2025, the company unveiled its Omega quantum photonic chipset, purpose-built for utility-scale quantum computing.
PsiQuantum said it will also break ground on two “data center-sized” quantum computing centers this year, one in Brisbane, Australia, and the second in Chicago, Illinois. The Australian center, set to be built at a site near Brisbane Airport, will house a AU$940 million (US$620m) quantum computer.
