D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) gained 2.2% in early Tuesday trading after unveiling a dedicated business unit aimed at expanding the company’s quantum computing footprint within the U.S. federal government.
The newly created division will focus exclusively on supporting federal agencies, and will be led by Jack Sears Jr., a longtime government contracting executive. Sears, now serving as vice president of U.S. government solutions, brings more than 25 years of experience developing growth initiatives for defense and aerospace contractors serving Washington.
CEO Dr. Alan Baratz pointed to accelerating government interest in quantum technologies, remarking, “By formalizing a U.S. government-focused business unit under Jack’s leadership, we aim to facilitate the rapid development of quantum applications that address national security, defense, and infrastructure challenges.”
As part of its latest government-focused expansion, D-Wave recently installed its Advantage2™ quantum system at Davidson Technologies’ headquarters in Alabama. The system is expected to help tackle mission-critical problems for U.S. agencies and eventually run highly sensitive workloads. Davidson Technologies works closely with the U.S. Department of War and commercial aerospace firms.
In his new role, Sears will manage federal market strategy, government-aligned application development, and secure system product design to ensure compliance with federal standards. His resume includes senior posts at Precise Systems, Aquia Inc., Parsons Corporation, and Epsilon Systems, where he oversaw sales pipelines surpassing $3 billion.
Sears emphasized the strategic opportunity ahead, stating, “D-Wave is uniquely positioned to address many of the challenges facing our government,” and reiterated the company’s intent to “aggressively push quantum adoption in service of national security and defense.”