Interlune Scales Helium-3 Production for Quantum Computing

The breakthrough relies on cryogenic distillation to separate helium-3 from ordinary helium at temperatures near absolute zero. While helium-3 is essential for reaching the ultra-low temperatures required by quantum processors, it remains notoriously difficult to isolate. Current global supplies depend largely on the decay of aging tritium stockpiles, a process that cannot easily scale to meet rising industrial demand. Interlune’s approach shifts the focus from finding new gas fields to refining the massive volumes of helium already processed annually.

Supported by an AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research contract, the company is preparing to scale the technology for industrial use. The potential impact is significant: if deployed across existing domestic facilities, the system could generate up to 2.5 kilograms of helium-3 per year. Beyond immediate terrestrial applications, Interlune views this terrestrial success as a technical precursor to its long-term objective of mining lunar regolith. With nearly $500 million in binding purchase agreements from firms like Maybell Quantum and Bluefors, the company is positioning its cryogenic separation process as the foundation for both advanced terrestrial computing and future lunar resource extraction.