QuICS Researchers Advance to Final Phase of $5 Million XPRIZE Quantum Applications Competition

Researchers affiliated with the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) are part of two of the five finalist teams selected in the $5 million XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition, an international effort to identify practical applications where quantum computing can outperform classical approaches.

The competition challenges teams to demonstrate meaningful quantum advantage in solving real-world problems across science and industry. As finalists move into Phase II of the competition, teams will further validate and benchmark their approaches using realistic hardware assumptions and direct comparisons with leading classical methods.

One finalist team includes University of Maryland Ph.D. students Mahathi Vempati and Jeffery Yu and their adviser Andrew Childs, a QuICS fellow and professor of computer science. Collaborating with researchers at the University of Michigan, the team developed a hybrid classical-quantum algorithm for solving the neutron diffusion k-eigenvalue problem, which models nuclear criticality in heterogeneous media.

These calculations are fundamental to nuclear reactor design and operation, including reactor safety analysis, nuclear fuel management and radiation transport modeling.

A second finalist team includes QuICS fellow and National Institute of Standards and Technology physicist Michael Gullans. He is part of a multi-institutional effort to develop a framework for simulating chemistry and material properties using native fermion and boson degrees of freedom to more closely model underlying quantum physics.

Researchers say the approach could provide significant resource savings compared with conventional qubit-based methods. The framework could help address challenges across industry and advanced manufacturing that depend on accurately modeling quantum interactions and material properties.

As the competition enters its next phase, finalist teams will focus on technical validation, performance benchmarking and demonstrating pathways toward practical deployment. Organizers say the goal is to identify quantum applications with clear potential for real-world impact as quantum hardware continues to mature.