Is it time for quantum sensor manufacturing?

On the optical clock/sensors end of the quantum realm, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) says yes and launched It’s About Time to build a pilot manufacturing pipeline for military-grade optical clocks at scale. Optical clock navigation is desirable by the military for many reasons, primarily its timekeeping precision and because it works within GPS-denied areas. It’ll be interesting to watch this play out because quantum manufacturing involves integrating, miniaturizing, and ruggedizing complex lasers and integrated photonics—and it’s finally moving forward. As part of DARPA’s It’s About Time program, IonQ was awarded a contract to create an optical clock manufacturing facility, which is expected to be up and running by mid-2027, with production units ready within a year. 

Sally Cole Johnson, Editor in Chief
Laser Focus World