Fermilab joins Microsoft Quantum Research Center as initial partner

- Fermilab is an initial partner in Microsoft Quantum’s new Maryland quantum hardware makerspace - The collaboration aims to expand the QICK platform - The effort comes as DOE increases support for quantum research, computing and hardware development The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is joining Microsoft Quantum as an initial partner in a new quantum hardware makerspace at Microsoft’s quantum research center in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District, the laboratory announced Tuesday. Dawn Zimmer, DOE chief information officer and 2026 Wash100 Award winner, will take the stage at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on October 29 in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss how the Energy Department is advancing computing power, AI adoption and advanced compute infrastructure. Secure your seat today. How Will the Partnership Expand QICK? Fermilab plans to expand the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, or QICK, as part of its broader collaboration with Microsoft. The expanded capabilities are intended to give researchers more flexible tools and help broaden access to quantum-control technologies across hardware platforms. Anna Grassellino, chief technology officer and associate laboratory director for the Technology Directorate at Fermilab, said the laboratory intends to keep QICK open source so users across academia, national laboratories and industry can use the platform to train the quantum workforce and develop applications. The Microsoft collaboration builds on recent efforts to expand QICK beyond its origins as a laboratory-developed research tool. In November 2025, Fermilab and quantum technology company Qblox announced a partnership to manufacture and distribute QICK in the United States, aiming to transition the open-source platform toward broader use across the U.S. quantum research ecosystem. Charles Tahan, a partner at Microsoft Quantum, said the collaboration with Fermilab extends beyond training and includes efforts to broaden the applicability of quantum-control technologies across hardware platforms. By making research results available to the open-source QICK community, Fermilab and Microsoft expect to contribute additional tools to the broader quantum information science ecosystem. How Does the Microsoft-Fermilab Effort Fit Into DOE’s Broader Quantum Push? The collaboration comes as the Department of Energy expands its support for quantum information science and advanced computing research across the federal research ecosystem. In June 2026, DOE announced more than $320 million in funding for 217 university and industry projects covering areas including quantum information science, advanced computing, materials science and engineering, nuclear and particle physics, and advanced sensing. The quantum-related projects are intended to advance areas such as quantum algorithms, quantum chaos theory and quantum entanglement. DOE has also launched a more targeted effort to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing. In September 2026, the department announced the Quantum Genesis Q Competition, offering up to $215 million to support the development of scientifically relevant quantum computers capable of performing hundreds of millions of fault-tolerant operations. The initiative includes a parallel $45 million call for DOE national laboratories to establish a Quantum High-Performance Computing Validation and Verification Testbed.