There's no real question among physicists that the vacuum energy is real, the result of virtual particles springing into and out of existence according to the rules of quantum physics. In fact, an experiment was proposed back in the 1940's to test this conjecture, and it has proven successful. A pair of metal plates, located near each other in a vacuum, actually experience a slight pressure caused by this vacuum energy. This Casimir effect, as it is known, is seen as clear confirmation of the predictions of quantum physics in regard to the existence of vacuum energy.
As I learned from my Mensa colleague, it's also seen by the government organization Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), best known for having created the internet, as a potential for groundbreaking new research into possible innovative new technologies, such as (according to their website):
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