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Chicago, IL – April 2026 – qBraid is proud to announce that we are part of a team selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under its Heterogeneous Architectures for Quantum (HARQ) program. The effort is led by memQ, the Chicago-based industry leader in quantum networking for distributed quantum computing, and includes researchers from MIT, Yale, and the University of Chicago.
Most quantum computing systems today are built around a single qubit type expected to handle all functions: processing, memory, and communication. The challenge is that no qubit modality excels at all three. Superconducting qubits are fast but difficult to network at scale. Trapped ions offer long coherence times but slower gate speeds. Photonic qubits are well-suited for communication but harder to use for computation. Each modality has real strengths, and real limitations.
HARQ is designed to address this by taking a page from classical computing, where CPUs, GPUs, memory, and storage each serve distinct roles within a larger system. The program explores whether quantum architectures can take a similar approach: combining different qubit types, each optimized for specific tasks, connected by high-fidelity quantum interconnects, and managed by a compiler that can intelligently route and partition workloads across heterogeneous hardware. DARPA estimates this approach could reduce resource overhead by a factor of 1,000 compared to homogeneous architectures.
The program has two core technical areas: compiler tools that can assign quantum operations to the most suitable qubit type, and high-speed quantum interconnects that enable reliable communication between different modalities. A government-led architecture study will run in parallel to evaluate co-design decisions, scalability, and economic impact. HARQ sits within DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office alongside related programs like the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative and QuANET.
Our role in this program is a natural extension of what qBraid has been building. qBraid was designed from the start to be hardware agnostic. Through qBraid, researchers and developers can access QPUs from IBM, Rigetti, QuEra, IonQ, Atom Computing, AQT, Microsoft, and others through a single interface, without rewriting their workflows for each new backend. We have spent years developing the software abstractions, transpilation layers, and execution infrastructure needed to run quantum workloads across a fragmented and fast-moving hardware landscape.
That foundation maps directly to what HARQ demands: a compiler that understands hardware topology and network constraints at both the logical and physical qubit level, and can partition and assign circuits across heterogeneous processors in a way that actually performs.
As our CEO Kanav Setia put it: “qBraid was founded to democratize quantum computing in order to drive both innovation and adoption across government and industry. Working with memQ and leading researchers from MIT, University of Chicago, and Yale fits perfectly with our mission and our platform.”
It is worth noting the geography here. memQ spun out of the University of Chicago, and both memQ and qBraid are alumni of the Duality Quantum Accelerator, the first accelerator in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to quantum startups. Chicago has been building one of the stronger quantum ecosystems in the country, anchored by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and a growing cluster of hardware and software companies. This DARPA selection reflects the depth of that ecosystem.
We will share more as the program develops. If you are a researcher, developer, or organization working on quantum software, hardware integration, or next-generation quantum architectures, we want to hear from you.
Explore qBraid at qbraid.com and join our open source developer community on GitHub. 👉 github.com/qBraid/qBraid
Collaborations
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qBraid is proud to announce we are part of a DARPA-selected team led by memQ to develop a hardware and network-aware quantum compiler under the HARQ program, alongside researchers from MIT, Yale, and the University of Chicago.
Research
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qBraid is proud to announce we are part of a DARPA-selected team led by memQ to develop a hardware and network-aware quantum compiler under the HARQ program, alongside researchers from MIT, Yale, and the University of Chicago.
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Hackathons
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Research
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Research
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