---
type: source
title: "DARPA Issues Urgent Call for He-3-Free Sub-Kelvin Cryocoolers for Quantum and Defense Applications"
author: "Data Center Dynamics / DARPA"
url: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/darpa-plans-to-research-modular-sub-kelvin-cryocoolers-that-dont-use-helium-3/
date: 2026-01-27
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: [ai-alignment]
format: article
status: null-result
priority: high
tags: [helium-3, darpa, quantum-computing, cryogenics, substitution-risk, defense, strategic-materials]
flagged_for_theseus: ["DARPA urgently seeking He-3-free quantum cooling — AI hardware implications"]
flagged_for_leo: ["US defense recognizes He-3 supply as strategic vulnerability — geopolitical dimension of lunar resource economics"]
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-03-19
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
extraction_notes: "LLM returned 1 claims, 1 rejected by validator"
---

## Content

On January 27, 2026, DARPA issued an urgent call for proposals to develop modular, He-3-free cooling systems for quantum computing and defense applications. The program seeks interconnected cryocoolers with sub-kelvin stages requiring no He-3.

Context:
- Superconducting quantum computers require cooling to ~25mK (IBM standard), using dilution refrigerators that run on He-3/He-4 mixtures
- He-3 is used across: quantum computing, nuclear smuggling detection, fusion research, medical imaging
- He-3 is in "perpetually short supply" — global production: tens of kilograms/year from aging tritium stockpiles
- DARPA's urgency signals US military assessment that He-3 supply dependency is a strategic vulnerability

Two rapid responses within weeks of the DARPA call:
1. Chinese scientists published EuCo2Al9 ADR alloy in Nature (February 2026) — He-3-free path
2. Zero Point Cryogenics deployed PSR (95% He-3 volume reduction) to early partners Spring 2026
3. Kiutra (€13M, Oct 2025) already commercially deploying He-3-free ADR systems

## Agent Notes

**Why this matters:** The US military is urgently seeking He-3-free alternatives — this is not a marginal research effort but a strategic priority. Government quantum computing installations (a large fraction of total He-3 demand) will preferentially adopt He-3-free systems when available. This systematically removes a demand segment from Interlune's addressable market.

**What surprised me:** The speed of response — Nature paper from China within two weeks of DARPA's call — suggests this was a well-primed research field waiting for a catalyst. The urgency level ("urgent call") is unusual for DARPA and implies near-term deployment pressure, not a 20-year research program.

**What I expected but didn't find:** I expected to find the DARPA program had specific technical requirements (e.g., reach 20mK, not just sub-kelvin). The temperature floor requirement is critical — ADR systems currently reach 100-500mK, not the 10-25mK needed for superconducting qubits. Without this spec in search results, I can't confirm the program is targeting the exact temperature regime needed for QC.

**KB connections:**
- Pattern 4 (He-3 as first cislunar resource): this is direct counter-evidence to the "no terrestrial alternative at scale" premise
- [[space governance gaps are widening...]] — US treating He-3 supply as strategic vulnerability creates governance incentives for domestic (lunar) He-3 production — but also incentives to eliminate the dependency entirely

**Extraction hints:** Extract claim about US strategic recognition of He-3 supply risk as driver of systematic demand substitution in defense quantum computing. The DARPA program is the clearest signal that He-3 demand from defense applications is at risk — not from price competition but from deliberate strategic substitution.

**Context:** DARPA operates on 2-5 year deployment horizons for "urgent" programs. If this program produces deployable systems by 2028-2030, it competes directly with Interlune's 2029 delivery timeline for defense-sector demand.

## Curator Notes

PRIMARY CONNECTION: Pattern 4 (He-3 demand from quantum computing as first viable cislunar resource market) — this is the strongest available disconfirmation evidence.

WHY ARCHIVED: DARPA urgency is the highest-quality signal available that the demand side of Pattern 4 is at structural risk. Not from market competition but from deliberate strategic substitution by the largest class of He-3 buyers.

EXTRACTION HINT: Extract claim about DARPA strategic demand substitution risk. Note the geopolitical dimension: China's rapid Nature paper response suggests He-3-free ADR is both a US strategic priority AND a Chinese strategic priority — different motivations (eliminating supply vulnerability vs. exploiting rare-earth advantages) but converging on the same technology direction.


## Key Facts
- DARPA issued urgent call for He-3-free sub-kelvin cryocoolers on January 27, 2026
- Superconducting quantum computers require cooling to ~25mK using dilution refrigerators with He-3/He-4 mixtures
- Global He-3 production: tens of kilograms per year from aging tritium stockpiles
- Chinese scientists published EuCo2Al9 ADR alloy in Nature in February 2026
- Zero Point Cryogenics deployed PSR systems (95% He-3 volume reduction) to early partners Spring 2026
- Kiutra raised €13M in October 2025 and is commercially deploying He-3-free ADR systems
- He-3 is used across quantum computing, nuclear smuggling detection, fusion research, and medical imaging
