Oak Ridge National Lab, Cleveland Clinic, and IBM Achieve First-Known Computations of Fusion Materials on a Quantum Computer

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (July 6, 2026) - Scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Cleveland Clinic and IBM have calculated nine molecular configurations of a material used to produce fuel for fusion energy, the first-known instance of such computations performed on quantum computers. The work focused on FLiBe, a liquid salt containing fluorine, lithium and beryllium. Researchers used a quantum-centric workflow to model the chemistry of the molten salt, matching results from the most demanding classical methods. "Quantum computers, such as those built by IBM and enhanced by AI and exascale computing, are key tools that accelerate the discovery and design cycles needed to produce sufficient tritium to fuel fusion reactors," said Tom Beck, section head for science engagement in the Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate at ORNL. The announcement was issued by IBM on July 6, 2026.