U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Request for Information (RFI) on Partnerships for Cryogenic and Quantum/Classical High-Performance Computing Testbed Capabilities

This is a request for information (RFI) only for the purpose of conducting market research and does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation. Responses are voluntary and will be used to inform strategic planning, program design, and future funding mechanisms.

Agency: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Office of Science, Department of Energy RFI Number: 892431-27-RFI-0001 Issue Date: November 12, 2026 Response Due: December 17, 2026

Summary

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on its Request for Information regarding national needs for two interconnected testbed initiatives:

A cryogenic testbed for developing, testing, and advancing quantum technologies and classical logic

A testbed for integrating quantum computing and quantum technologies with classical high-performance computing (HPC) assets that are progressively scalable

This RFI solicits feedback from industry, research entities, and other stakeholders to guide DOE’s strategic planning for a DOE testbed that can support development of both classical and quantum technologies, including development of integrated quantum computing and HPC technologies for fault-tolerant quantum computing.

DOE seeks input from potentially interested users and vendors.

Potential Interested Users

This category includes businesses of all sizes, academia, and national laboratories that require advanced cryogenic and quantum computing/HPC integration capabilities to substantially advance research and development of classical and quantum electronics, logic, and sensors.

Potential Interested Vendors

This category includes businesses of all sizes and research institutions interested in partnering with DOE and the national laboratories to design and build the potential future cryogenic infrastructure (i.e., testbed) supporting development of quantum technologies and those necessary for a progressively scaled and integrated quantum and classical platforms.

Collaboration and partnerships with one or more industry suppliers that can provide applicable equipment, computing hardware, software, or integration capabilities for quantum computing and classical HPC is desirable.

This RFI will inform the planning of a national resource that will foster and accelerate innovation of integrated quantum and HPC technologies that require infrastructure equipment and instrumentation that would otherwise be cost prohibitive to acquire or too burdensome to maintain.

Cryogenic Testbed

Potential Interested Users

DOE wants to understand technology roadmaps of how future quantum and classical cryogenic logic requiring cryogenic cooling capabilities can be integrated into the DOE testbed ecosystem. If appropriate, these requirements could be submitted in collaboration or partnership with cryogenic system vendors. Specifically, DOE wants to understand the technical requirements necessary to overcome cryogenic challenges associated with developing and integrating classical and cryogenic logic. This request includes the requirements for developing today’s key quantum technologies and supporting a more challenging future architecture that would otherwise limit research and technological progress toward scaling. In particular:

1. Describe your primary application(s) needs for access to cryogenic infrastructure, e.g., quantum computing, quantum sensing, classical cryogenic electronics and logic, hybrid quantum-classical systems, or other (please specify).

2. Describe how such cryogenic infrastructure could be used to study and accelerate interfacing and the integration of quantum processing units with classical computing logic.

3. Describe the required equipment or component target temperature and cooling power (at that temperature) at the interface between the cryogenic cooling and equipment or component, and to the extent possible, the physical interface of the equipment or component(s) being cooled. If multiple temperatures or cooling powers are required, provide a complete description of the combined cooling.

4. Describe any essential specialized equipment for the testbed to provide. In addition, describe the number and type of electrical lines between the devices at a cryogenic temperature to the room temperature boundary, as well as specify key performance characteristics needed.

5. Describe the level of access needed to the testbed (in-person and hands-on, virtual, or a combination) and the level and type of technical expertise needed to support your work.

6. Looking ahead over the next five to ten years, how would you anticipate your needs from the cryogenic infrastructure evolving in terms of scale, complexity, cooling power, and temperature?

For Potential Interested Vendors

DOE wants to understand how cryogenic technology roadmaps and capabilities align with one or more user technology roadmaps and can be integrated into the DOE testbed ecosystem. Specifically:

1. Describe the cryogenic system infrastructure capabilities you could provide that would align with one or more user technology roadmaps that are suitable for the proposed DOE testbed. As applicable, include details on:

a. Proposed helium-4 cryogenic systems (as a liquefier, isothermal refrigerator, or non-isothermal refrigerator)

b. Dilution refrigeration systems (i.e., those using helium-3/helium-4 mixtures)

c. Other types of cryogenic cooling, including potential integration of these types of systems (e.g., helium-4 cryogenic system providing plate-stage and/or mixture cooling of a dilution refrigerator)

2. Describe how your proposed approach would support user technology modularity (the ability to support broad and interchangeable user technologies and requirements) and scalability over time (the ability to economically expand system capabilities over time) necessary for user technology roadmaps and/or needs. DOE anticipates that an approach that only addresses modularity or scalability over time will not be sufficient.

Responses might describe separate systems and/or a phased approach that economically builds on previous phases. Approaches described must support the evolving needs of DOE’s cryogenic infrastructure to accelerate integrated quantum and classical logic.

3. Describe your system’s ability to support multiple smaller-scale experiments, possibly at different base temperatures, and the methodology and ease of experiment transitions.

The approach can use either a single cryo-plant or separate, smaller systems to service diverse cooling powers and temperatures. However, the goal should be to practically minimize cryogenic system equipment, especially the amount of ambient temperature (non-cryogenic) rotating machinery of all types. Because the primary mission of this testbed is to maximize experimental uptime and support a wide range of research activities, DOE anticipates a need for cryogenic systems that emphasize system reliability and flexibility above the overall thermal efficiency of the (combined) testbed cryogenic system.

4. Provide rough cost estimates and timelines for the cryogenic infrastructure that could support two or four progressively scaled (and potentially modular) experimental systems supporting user needs, plus approximately ten to 40 different smaller scale experiments. Please include key conventional facility requirements (e.g., electrical power, cooling water, floor space and loading, ceiling height, crane support, etc.), expected system maintenance, and any specialized supplier support or spares required.

5. Describe preferred partnership models with DOE. This model could be as a primary vendor, and/or system integrator, and working with DOE National Laboratories to solve future technical challenges on the proposed technology roadmap.

Quantum Computing and High-Performance Computing Integration Testbed

DOE wants to understand the user requirements and vendor capabilities for a testbed focusing on integrating quantum computing and HPC resources.

For Potential Interested Users

1. Describe the major Research and Development (R&D) initiative(s) that would be advanced by this testbed, including algorithm and application design, advances in error correction, system advancement, and others.

2. Describe the necessary architecture parameters, including the connection requirements (e.g., latency, bandwidth) necessary between the quantum and classical systems.

3. Describe the necessary classical and quantum computing resources to make progress on the R&D initiative(s) described in Item 1. In your use cases, do you envision bringing your classical or quantum hardware to plug into the testbed?

4. Describe the software requirements you would need the testbed to provide to support your R&D initiative.

5. Describe how you envision accessing the testbed, i.e., via the cloud, physical access only for initialization, or physical access throughout the process.

For Potential Interested Vendors

1. Describe the system architecture you could provide to integrate quantum computing with classical HPC. Include details about:

a. Which qubit modalities do you anticipate supporting?

b. How would you support the quantum processing units to a classical asset?

c. What hardware do you anticipate providing versus hardware the user would provide?

2. Describe how you envision growing the testbed as quantum computing modalities scale.

3. Describe the software orchestration plane you would provide, including scheduling, resource management, and working across the classical and quantum assets.

4. Describe the preferred partnership model with DOE for operating the testbed.

Include details about staff that you envision needing to support this endeavor, including national laboratory staff.

5. Describe the Intellectual Property (IP) framework needed to manage IP generated jointly or arising from integrating technologies within this testbed environment.

Confidential Business Information Pursuant to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information that he or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via email two well-marked copies:

One copy of the document marked “confidential” including all information believed to be confidential

One copy of the document marked “non-confidential” with the information believed to be confidential deleted

Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result in the disclosure of the unmarked information under the Freedom of Information Act or otherwise. The U.S.

Government is not liable for the disclosure or use of unmarked information and may use or disclose such information for any purpose. If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information, you must include a cover sheet marked as follows identifying the specific pages containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information:

Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data Pages [list applicable pages] of this response may contain confidential, proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt from public disclosure. Such information shall be used or disclosed by the Government and its contractors (including DOE’s contractor operated laboratories) only for the purposes described in 892431-27-RFI-0001. The Government may use or disclose any information that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of source.

In addition:

The header and footer of every page that contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be marked as follows: “Contains, Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged Information Exempt from Public Disclosure.”

Every line and paragraph containing proprietary, privileged, or trade secret information must be clearly marked with [[double brackets]] or highlighting.

Please be aware that DOE may make available for public inspection all other comments, in their entirety, submitted by organizations and businesses (except as provided above for proprietary information) or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or businesses.

Submission Instructions Responses should not exceed ten pages, including attachments or cover letters, except as noted below. Please include:

Organization name and point of contact

An appendix providing feedback or changes to specific terms for the Research, Technology, and Economic Security requirements in Appendix I. Providing alternate wording, along with a rationale for that wording, addressing the purpose of each provision that would not impede quickly and effectively establishing partnerships is encouraged. This appendix is optional and not included in the total page-count limit.

Responses should be emailed to qcinput@doe.gov with “Cryogenic and Quantum High- Performance Computing Testbed” in the subject line of the email.

Further Information You can send your questions to the DOE Office of Science through qcinput@doe.gov.

Appendix I

Appendix I: Research, Technology, and Economic Security (RTES) Requirements

No Entity of Concern as defined in Section 10114 of Public Law 117-167 (42 USC 18912) may participate in the Project.

The project is subject to an ongoing research, technology, and economic security risk review and monitoring to identify potential risks of undue foreign influence. As part of the review, the Department of Energy (DOE) may require the selectee and/or project team members to provide additional information to inform the review.

DOE may share information regarding the risks identified as part of the RTES due diligence review process or monitoring with other Federal agencies.

In the event an RTES risk is identified, DOE may require risk mitigation measures, including but not limited to, requiring that an individual or entity not participate in the project. If significant risks are identified and cannot be sufficiently mitigated, DOE may terminate the project

DOE’s decision regarding a due diligence review is not appealable.

The selectee and project team members must make reasonable efforts to ensure that DOE has up to date Transparency of Foreign Connections disclosures. If circumstances change which impact the accuracy of the disclosures, the selectee must submit updated disclosures to DOE within 15 business days of learning of the changed circumstances. The updated disclosure must be provided to [CONTACT INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED

IN THE AWARD TERMS].

The selectee must provide DOE with advance notice of the following events, as they relate to the selectee, project partners, or project:

1. Change in ownership or control of the selectee or project team members that increases foreign ownership related to a foreign country of concern;

2. Any new or pending parent company, joint venture, or subsidiary, of entity that is based on or receives funding from any foreign country of concern;

3. Any new or pending contractual or financial obligation or other agreement specific to a business arrangement, or joint venture-like arrangement with an entity based in, or funded by, any foreign country of concern;

4. Any new or pending venture capital or institutional investment by an entity that has a general partner or other individual holding a leadership role who has a foreign affiliation with any foreign country of concern;

5. Any new or pending technology licensing or intellectual property sales or transfers to a foreign country of concern where the underlying technology is in the same technology area as the project;

6. Any new or pending foreign business entity, offshore entity, or entity outside the United States that is based in, or funded by, any foreign country of concern;

7. Any changes to the selectee or project partners’ board of directors, including additions to the number of directors and the identity of new directors. Each notification shall include a complete up-to-date list of all directors (and board observers), including their full name, shareholder affiliation, date of appointment, voting rights, citizenship, duration of term, as well as a description of observer rights as applicable;

8. Any new or pending indebtedness, liabilities, or obligations to an entity based in, or funded by, any foreign country of concern (whether the selectee or project partner is borrower, surety, guarantor, or other);

9. Any of the following changes to the equipment proposed for use on the project:

i. Unmanned aircraft, control, and communication components originally made or manufactured in a foreign country of concern (including relabeled or rebranded equipment);

ii. Coded equipment where the source code is written in a foreign country of concern;

iii. Equipment from a foreign country of concern that will be connected to the internet or other remote communication system; and

iv. Any entity from a foreign country of concern that will have physical or remote access to any part of the equipment used on the project after delivery.

DOE may require mitigation to address increased risks of undue foreign influence or if the risks cannot be sufficiently mitigated, DOE may terminate the project.