Quantum infrastructure software startup Q-CTRL has been awarded to contracts worth $38 million (US$24.4m) under the US Department of Defense agency DARPA’s Robust Quantum Sensors (RoQS) program.
The funding is for Q-CTRL’s quantum sensing technologies in high-performance military vehicles, in a collaboration with Lockheed Martin.
Engaging Q-CTRL’s solution comes as GPS becomes increasingly vulnerable to attack, as conflicts in the Mideast, Ukraine and other areas have shown, leading to navigation blackouts. More than 1,000 flights a day are now disrupted by GPS jamming incidents, and the cost of outages is already put at more than $1 billion daily.
Quantum sensing is seen as a solution in a market that could be worth up to US$5 billion by 2030.
Q-CTRL will develop next-generation quantum sensors for navigation based on their success in field trials of airborne, maritime, and ground-based quantum navigation augmented by their proprietary AI-powered software ruggedisation. That enables the sensors to operate reliably on moving defence platforms in challenging real-world conditions such as environmental interference, mechanical vibrations, and heavy g-forces.
In March this year, Lockheed Martin and Q-CTRL were awarded a US Department of Defense’s Innovation Unit contract to prototype a quantum-enabled Inertial Navigation System.
The Sydney startup – named Australia’s Most Innovative Startup in the 2023 Startup Daily Best in Tech awards – was founded in 2017 by Prof Michael Biercuk, and developed a product called Ironstone Opal, that’s undetectable, and cannot be jammed or spoofed. It uses quantum sensors to detect tiny, otherwise imperceptible signals arising from Earth’s structure that serve as magnetic “landmarks” for navigation.
The Ironstone Opal
Biercuk said the new US defence contract is an exciting development for the business.
“DARPA has an incredible track record of delivering innovations that change the face of society, from the internet and mobile phones to night vision and stealth,” he said.
“We’re honoured that our recent demonstrations and exciting new ideas earned Q-CTRL’s selection to deliver a new generation of software-ruggedised quantum sensors for the most challenging defence missions. We’re here to win and are excited to work with the team at DARPA for the benefit of the warfighter.”
Jonathan Stock, chief scientist for innovation at NASA’s Ames Intelligent Systems division, said it’s one of several federal agencies also exploring how to use the emerging generation of highly capable, mobile quantum sensors to detect and assess mineral deposits.
“DARPA’s awards to Q-CTRL illustrate the potential for impactful new use of this technology, and NASA looks forward to pursuing a deeper relationship with Q-CTRL,” he said.
