Princeton to Lead $27.9 Million Quantum Institute as NSF Unveils $290 Million Push
Updated
Updated · Princeton Engineering · Aug 25
Princeton to Lead $27.9 Million Quantum Institute as NSF Unveils $290 Million Push
1 articles · Updated · Princeton Engineering · Aug 25
Summary
$27.9 million over five years will fund Princeton-led MARQUIS, one of eight new NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes announced Monday.
MARQUIS will target a key scaling bottleneck in quantum computing: manufacturing better Josephson junctions and other core superconducting-qubit components for mid-scale processors.
Nine institutions and two dozen labs — including Cornell, MIT, Stanford and UC Santa Barbara — will combine materials science, quantum devices and semiconductor-processing expertise, with industry advisers from Google Quantum AI, NVIDIA and Applied Materials.
The institute also plans test beds and workforce training to standardize performance comparisons across labs and help move quantum hardware beyond small academic prototypes.
The award follows Princeton researchers' recent materials breakthrough, which the university said produced qubits 15 times better than leading industry chips, underscoring the U.S. push to turn lab advances into scalable systems.
Can a new scientific dream team finally break a 25-year-old manufacturing bottleneck to unlock true large-scale quantum computing?
Will abandoning decades-old aluminum techniques for novel substrate designs be the ultimate key to achieving foundry-level quantum processor yields?
The $290M NSF Quantum Leap: How the MARQUIS Institute Aims to Solve the Josephson Junction Bottleneck and Secure U.S. Quantum Leadership
Overview
In August 2026, the NSF awarded $27.9 million to Princeton University to lead the MARQUIS Institute, aiming to break a 25-year bottleneck in quantum hardware caused by fabrication challenges in Josephson junctions. These tiny components are crucial for superconducting qubits, but defects and inconsistencies have limited progress. MARQUIS brings together top researchers, industry partners, and open, standardized test beds to share breakthroughs and accelerate innovation. The institute also focuses on training a diverse new generation of quantum engineers, supporting the national strategy to keep the U.S. at the forefront of global quantum technology.