Quantum Computing Inc. Partners with Connected DMV to Explore Quantum Optimization for Resilient Power Grids
New Global Industry Challenge Use Case Focuses on Cost Optimization Across Distributed Microgrid Networks
Connected DMV, the operator of Quantum World Congress, today announced that Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) will sponsor an energy infrastructure use case in the 2026 Global Industry Challenge (GIC), inviting global teams to explore how quantum computing techniques can improve cost efficiency and resilience in distributed power grid systems.
The challenge will focus on optimizing networks of interconnected microgrids, which combine generation sources and energy storage systems to serve critical infrastructure while operating in both connected and islanded modes.
Hosted by Connected DMV, the Global Industry Challenge brings together researchers, developers, startups, and industry leaders from around the world to collaborate on solving high-value industry problems using quantum computing and adjacent technologies such as artificial intelligence.
“As energy systems become more distributed and complex, optimization problems are growing beyond the limits of traditional computational tools,” said George Thomas, President & CEO of Connected DMV. “The Global Industry Challenge provides a platform for innovators worldwide to explore how emerging quantum approaches can help address these real-world operational challenges.”
The Rise of Distributed Energy Systems
Power grids around the world are undergoing rapid transformation as utilities and infrastructure operators integrate renewable generation, energy storage, and distributed resources into existing networks.
Increasingly, these systems are organized around microgrids—localized networks capable of operating independently from the broader grid during disruptions while still connecting to regional transmission infrastructure under normal conditions.
Designing and operating these systems efficiently requires complex optimization across multiple variables, including:
Generator dispatch and operational costs
Energy storage capacity and utilization
Demand fluctuations and grid load balancing
Infrastructure disruptions and contingency scenarios
As the number of distributed energy resources grows, the complexity of these optimization problems increases dramatically.
The Technical Challenge
In the Quantum Computing Inc. Global Industry Challenge use case, participants will explore how quantum computing techniques can help improve the cost efficiency and resilience of microgrid networks.
Teams will investigate quantum approaches to solving optimization models that incorporate high-fidelity cubic cost functions, which more accurately represent the behavior of thermal generation systems but significantly increase computational complexity.
Participants will develop algorithms designed to:
Optimize generation and storage dispatch across distributed microgrid networks
Evaluate performance under simulated disruption scenarios
Benchmark quantum and hybrid approaches against classical optimization methods
Explore how entropy quantum computing techniques may improve the handling of complex cost functions
Finalist teams will run their solutions across multiple quantum architectures through qBraid, including systems from IBM, D-Wave, QCi, IonQ, QuEra, Rigetti, IQM, and GPU-accelerated simulation environments.
The goal is to determine where emerging quantum approaches may offer advantages in solving complex optimization problems central to modern energy systems.
A Global Proving Ground for Quantum Innovation
The Global Industry Challenge has rapidly become one of the most ambitious international programs focused on applying quantum computing to real industry problems.
The inaugural 2025 Challenge attracted more than 600 innovators from over 60 countries, culminating in live winner announcements at Quantum World Congress 2025.
Participants included researchers, startups, industry professionals, and students working across six continents to deliver solutions for challenges sponsored by organizations such as The World Bank Group, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and MITRE.
By connecting industry-defined problems with a global community of innovators, the program helps accelerate both practical quantum applications and the development of the next generation of quantum talent.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 Global Industry Challenge will include multiple industry tracks spanning energy infrastructure, advanced materials, and dynamic systems forecasting, each defined by a leading industry or government partner.
Participants will form global teams, develop technical proposals, and execute their solutions across a three-phase program running from March through July 2026, with winners announced live at Quantum World Congress 2026 in College Park, Maryland.
Hosted virtually and open to participants worldwide, the program continues to expand the global quantum ecosystem while pushing the boundaries of what emerging computing technologies can achieve in real-world applications.
Innovators interested in participating can learn more and register through the Global Industry Challenge platform.