D-Wave Quantum is proving adept at winning over Washington just as the company embarks on a high-stakes architectural pivot.

D-Wave announced Tuesday that it had secured a $1.6 million National Science Foundation grant. The funding comes through the agency's National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program, which unites researchers, industry, and government to develop and commercialize quantum tech.

The announcement marks a significant step up in D-Wave's years-long relationship with the NSF. The capital infusion will support D-Wave's role in a federal project centered on developing foundational technologies for fault-tolerant quantum computing.

More than a year ago, the project -- Erasure Qubits and Dynamic Circuits for Quantum Advantage -- which is better known as ERASE, was one of six pilot initiatives to receive a NSF grant. Last week, the agency announced another $4 million to advance the project into its next stage.

As part of that push, the NSF selected five research teams to design experimental quantum technologies including networking. This field is considered the next frontier in practical quantum technology and the precursor to a quantum internet, akin to the classical networks that allow computers to communicate today.

Crucially, more than 24 companies are partnering on these initiatives to scale the resulting technologies. Among them are IonQ, Nvidia, and Honeywell-backed Quantinuum, which went public earlier this month.

The NSF grant is the latest affirmation of D-Wave's strong backing at the federal level. D-Wave was among a handful of companies selected for a Commerce Department initiative last month, which saw companies trade equity stakes in their businesses for federal funding.

The endorsement comes at a critical time as the company ramps up its quantum development efforts, with a renewed focus on gate-model computing -- a different modality than signature quantum annealing that has allowed D-Wave to carve out a niche in the industry. This pivot allows D-Wave to tackle a much broader range of problems and significantly expand its customer base.

Write to Mackenzie Tatananni at mackenzie.tatananni@barrons.com

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June 30, 2026 08:11 ET (12:11 GMT)

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