Former Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger Praises PsiQuantum After $125 Million DARPA Quantum Computing Deal
Former Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger has congratulated PsiQuantum after the quantum computing company secured a major $125 million expanded agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA. The deal marks an important step in the push to move quantum computing beyond laboratory experiments and toward utility-scale systems capable of solving real-world problems.
PsiQuantum is working on a silicon-photonics-based quantum computing platform designed to scale far beyond today’s experimental machines. The company’s long-term goal is to build fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computers that can tackle highly complex calculations in areas such as materials science, pharmaceuticals, energy, cryptography, artificial intelligence, and logistics.
Gelsinger highlighted the importance of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, saying the program is helping raise standards across the quantum computing industry by focusing on measurable technical progress. He praised PsiQuantum’s milestone and suggested that rigorous validation from government-backed experts could help accelerate the broader quantum ecosystem.
His comments follow recent remarks in which he expressed optimism about the future of quantum computing. While many experts believe large-scale quantum systems may still be many years away, Gelsinger has taken a more hopeful view, suggesting the technology could become viable by the end of the decade. He has pointed to sectors such as logistics as potential early beneficiaries, where advanced quantum algorithms could improve optimization and decision-making at a scale classical computers struggle to match.
The latest agreement between PsiQuantum and DARPA is focused on evaluating whether the company’s approach can support utility-scale quantum computing. Unlike smaller experimental quantum systems, utility-scale machines are expected to perform calculations that deliver practical value and potentially outperform traditional supercomputers on certain workloads.
PsiQuantum’s architecture combines silicon photonics, advanced chips, cryogenic systems, and modular infrastructure. By using photons, or particles of light, as the foundation for its quantum computing approach, the company aims to build a scalable system that can eventually support a large number of qubits. This scaling challenge remains one of the biggest obstacles in the quantum computing industry.
DARPA selected PsiQuantum to explore quantum computing systems that could be suitable for utility-scale deployment. The company advanced to Stage C of the agency’s evaluation process in February 2025. It later entered into a $31.8 million agreement for further testing and evaluation before the expanded $125 million agreement was announced.
The collaboration gives DARPA’s technical experts deep access to PsiQuantum’s facilities, systems, and development roadmap. This level of review is intended to determine whether the company’s technology can meet the demanding requirements needed for practical quantum computing at scale.
For PsiQuantum, the agreement is a significant endorsement at a time when competition in quantum computing is intensifying. Major technology companies, startups, research institutions, and government agencies are all racing to develop reliable quantum systems that can solve problems beyond the reach of conventional computing.
The deal also reflects growing government interest in quantum computing as a strategic technology. Nations around the world are investing heavily in quantum research because of its potential impact on national security, scientific discovery, and economic competitiveness.
While practical utility-scale quantum computers are not yet available, the PsiQuantum and DARPA partnership shows that the industry is moving from theory toward stricter engineering benchmarks. If successful, the work could help define what a commercially and strategically useful quantum computer should look like.
Gelsinger’s support adds further visibility to PsiQuantum’s achievement. As a former leader of one of the world’s most influential semiconductor companies, his comments underline the close connection between quantum computing, chip manufacturing, advanced materials, and next-generation computing infrastructure.
The $125 million DARPA agreement does not mean utility-scale quantum computing has arrived, but it does signal confidence that PsiQuantum’s approach is worth serious evaluation. For the broader technology industry, it is another sign that quantum computing is becoming a major focus in the race to build the next era of high-performance computing.
