What do ship corrosion, weather modeling, and autonomous vehicle vision systems have in common? They’re all Federal use cases where quantum computing is poised to make a real-world impact – today. Once confined to physics labs and theory journals, quantum is stepping into mission applications, thanks to industry and government collaboration.
Quantum computing offers a computational space that is much larger than classical computing – enabling agencies to solve complex mission challenges that exceed linear compute limits, said Mathew Soltis, vice president of technology solutions and solution partners at General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT).
In a recent conversation, Soltis and Peter Villano, director of government programs for IonQ, a trapped-ion quantum computing pioneer, outlined current and future applications of quantum computing to numerous government challenges. These include:
- The $20 billion annual cost of corrosion for the U.S. Navy. IonQ is working with the U.S. Naval Research Lab to develop mitigation strategies
- Advanced change detection and geospatial imagery analysis. Earlier this year, GDIT and IonQ announced a strategic collaboration agreement to use quantum computing to enable more accurate and efficient geospatial intelligence gathering
- Modeling and simulating global, regional, and local weather effects
- 3D object detection for smarter, more accurate object detection in future autonomous vehicle models – an application that is well-suited for defense purposes, Villano noted
These use cases underscore the impact solutions partnerships have on quantum computing advancement. “When we talk to our Federal customers, they want a mission solution, they want outcomes, and they want capability, largely from commercial [partners], integrated in the Federal context,” Soltis noted.
The U.S. government has invested heavily in quantum capabilities. In 2024 and 2025 alone, the Department of Energy announced $690 million in new funding across quantum research initiatives. DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative and NIST’s post-quantum encryption standards are also driving Federal adoption.
Building a Quantum-Ready Posture
Federal agencies don’t need a fault-tolerant quantum computer to begin. They need a plan. GDIT and IonQ recommend a few practical steps:
- Invest in workforce understanding. Build internal knowledge around how quantum works, where it fits into hybrid compute environments, and what its potential value is for specific mission challenges.
- Identify high-impact use cases. Agencies should evaluate where quantum can realistically deliver mission value in the near term. These might include optimization problems, materials modeling, AI training, or other areas where classical systems fall short. GDIT and IonQ help agencies assess their current mission challenges through this lens.
- Think hybrid. Quantum processing units (QPUs) will live alongside classical and GPU-based high-performance computing. Prototyping these hybrid workflows now will accelerate deployment later.
- Challenge your vendors. Federal mission owners should present real, unsolved mission problems. These challenges will help shape next-gen quantum systems.
Why Act Now?
Beyond national security stakes, quantum computing has massive potential in system and process optimization, materials science, and AI acceleration. Federal programs – supported by industry expertise – form a multi-billion-dollar runway for those applications. Federal-industry partnerships provide a low-risk sandbox for experimentation, and new standards and use case pilots are turning potential into reality.
To learn more, view the discussion and explore how GDIT and its quantum partners are helping federal agencies prepare for and operationalize quantum computing.