The “Prove It” Stage: What DARPA’s Stage C Means for IonQ

Every quantum company has a roadmap, but what happens when they have to prove it? Stage C of DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) puts these roadmaps to the test. In this conversation, Rick Muller, Ph.D., SVP and Chief Scientist of IonQ Federal, explains what DARPA is trying to learn through QBI: whether quantum computers will deliver more value than they cost. He covers why independent verification matters in a field where every company measures success differently, how IonQ's recent work on qubit fidelity, its “walking cat” architecture, and elliptic curve cryptography fits into the bigger picture, and what quantum computing could mean for materials, medicine, energy, and national security.