Quantum computing is either a distant dream or an imminent reality depending on whom you ask. And while much of this year’s Quantum Village at the Defcon security conference in Las Vegas is focused on emerging research and threat analysis, Village cofounders Victoria Kumaran and Mark Carney are also working to make a currently available quantum technology more accessible to hackers and anyone else.

In a main-stage Defcon talk on Saturday, the pair will present an open source and affordable quantum sensor that can serve a variety of uses, from medical technologies to GPS alternatives. And it’s all powered by a special yet affordable diamond with particular atomic properties. The first generation design could be assembled for about $120 to $160 depending on suppliers and shipping times. The second version that Kumaran and Carney are presenting this weekend can be built for even less, and the pair says they will release a third version this fall based on community testing and input that they hope will cost just $50 to build.

Quantum sensors detect extremely slight variations in magnetic and electrical fields, enabling ultra-precise measurements. Atomic clocks that keep nearly perfect time, for example, are quantum sensors that have been in use for decades. For researchers and enthusiasts interested in learning more about quantum sensing, though, the barrier to entry has been quite high. So the Quantum Village’s relatively affordable, open source “Uncut Gem” project creates a real opportunity for more people to build their own quantum sensors and explore the technology.

“You can do things you wouldn’t have been able to do before, like using quantum sensors to start building portable MRI-style devices that can be used in all different countries,” Kumaran told WIRED ahead of the presentation. “These are diamonds with defects, synthetic diamonds that are the cheapest off-cuts you can get. I think there’s something a bit poetic that synthetic diamonds have this utility.”

Most of the components needed for the quantum sensor are simple off-the-shelf computing parts, but the diamond needs to be what’s known as a “nitrogen-vacancy diamond.” Its special molecular properties are thanks to the presence of nitrogen atoms that replace some carbon atoms in the diamond’s atomic structure.

In addition to potential medical applications, quantum sensors can be used in alternative navigation technologies that track electromagnetic wave interference. Such tools could be used as local alternatives to GPS in the case of global system failures or targeted jamming. The US Space Force is currently testing what a release called the “highest-performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space.”

For the vast majority of people who don’t have access to the world’s highest performing quantum sensors, though, the Uncut Gem project represents an opportunity to democratize and expand quantum sensing technology. The project joins others in different fields of hacking that have been geared toward low-cost, accessible designs and components.

Independent researcher Davide Gessa has been testing the Uncut Gem schematics and code.

The head of the US government’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is leaving the unit this month to take a job with a quantum computing company, WIRED has learned.

Rick Muller’s pending departure from IARPA comes amid broader efforts to downsize the United States intelligence community, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which oversees IARPA. A person familiar with Muller’s plans confirmed to WIRED his departure from IARPA.

Born during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, IARPA is tasked with testing AI, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies that could aid the missions of spy agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency.

The Trump administration reportedly has been moving to cut the workforces of intelligence agencies as part of the president’s broad efforts to dismantle diversity programs and streamline government operations. Influential Republicans in the US Senate also recently have proposed legislation that would cut several programs from the ODNI, though IARPA isn’t among listed targets.

Muller, a chemist and long-time computer science researcher, had overseen some quantum computing programs at the Department of Energy before taking the reins of IARPA in April 2024. His final day at IARPA will be July 11, according to the person familiar with his plans. He is joining IonQ, which is part of a race to commercialize quantum computing. IonQ declined to comment.

The technologies used by spy agencies are often shrouded in secrecy. But much of IARPA’s work is public. It has funded dozens of research projects at universities and other labs across the country, including efforts to improve systems for facial and speech recognition. In April, Muller told Federal News Network that the cybersecurity risks of large language models would be a priority for upcoming research.

The Trump administration has fired workers and slashed government grants for research at several other agencies, sparking nationwide protests and jeopardizing the future of science. The ODNI is seeking a budget of about $82 billion for the coming year, an increase of about 11.5 percent over the amount requested for 2025. But Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has touted cutting her workforce by 25 percent this year.

Last week, Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, described Gabbard’s agency as an “overstaffed and bureaucratic behemoth” at which “coordinators coordinate with other coordinators.” He called for cuts and other changes that he characterized as “vital to keeping our country safe from the wide range of threats that we continue to face.”

Spokespeople for Cotton didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the senator’s views on IARPA. The White House also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

IARPA was modeled on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which has long been considered one of the federal government’s most advanced research and development units with successful bets on technologies for vaccines, location tracking, and language translation.