Jockeying intensifies for state quantum leadership

Quantum could be set for a big 2025 internationally and in the U.S., as several states are looking to keep up their own quantum initiatives.

Next month, the United Nations is set to kick off the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology with a lavish ceremony in Paris featuring speakers from nearly two dozen countries. The yearlong effort is expected to elevate international understanding of the technology and quantum computers specifically, which researchers say would be exponentially faster and more powerful than today’s and be useful in areas like cybersecurity, encryption and research.

Closer to home, the Quantum Industry Coalition, which represents the sector and advocates for federal funds, recently urged President Donald Trump to appoint a quantum czar and reauthorize the National Quantum Initiative Act, which expired in 2023.

Meanwhile, more states are looking to join the likes of Colorado, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, which have invested recently in the technology in the hopes of bringing in more jobs, research and companies. And while no one yet has staked a claim to be a definitive national leader, they are investing heavily to get close, build ecosystems and unlock the economic benefits that go with it.

New Mexico looked to stake its claim earlier this month as quantum computing company Quantinuum announced it would build a new research and development center in the state. The center will focus on photonics technologies — the science of light — which helps advance ion quantum computing technologies that use light to control qubits, the basic unit of information quantum computing is built upon.

State leaders are thrilled, especially as it comes months after New Mexico was designated alongside Colorado as a quantum tech hub by the Economic Development Administration and awarded $41 million to advance the region’s quantum sector.

“Together we will leverage New Mexico's assets, including the groundbreaking work being done at our national laboratories and the nation's best quantum scientists being educated at our universities, to invest in and grow the state's quantum technologies industry, creating career opportunities for New Mexicans and continuing to build the technology of the future," New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement released by Quantinuum.

Other states are trying to assert themselves in the quantum industry too. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recently announced a “Capital of Quantum” public-private partnership between the state, the University of Maryland and quantum computing company IonQ, with a goal of bringing in $1 billion of investment in the technology through state funds, matching federal grants, private sector investments and philanthropic contributions over the next five years. It’s part of a wider push to modernize state government.

“Quantum has the potential to transform every part of our economy and society, from national security to health care,” Moore said in a statement. “With extraordinary assets and partnerships, Maryland can — and should — lead in this new emerging sector, and we are moving forward with a clear strategy to make that vision a reality. Together, we will make Maryland the quantum capital of the world."

Momentum is building in many states to invest in quantum computing, research and development, based on these initiatives, with officials looking to get ahead of the curve now as the technology matures. Kaniah Konkoly-Thege, Quantinuum’s chief legal officer and senior vice president of government relations, said states “are really trying to be very strategic in the way in which they are thinking about quantum.”

“They know that it's a scaling technology,” she continued. “It does take initiatives around how to think about job creation, how to create the right incentives for a research and development-based type organization that they’ll grow into and really build out that ecosystem.”

In the meantime, states must think hard about how they prepare residents for quantum jobs, including through what Konkoly-Thege said is a growing trend of “Q-12” educational curricula in schools. It’s critical to make quantum accessible, and scientists and educators are looking to “bring the technology into the classroom at an early age so people can become quantum native,” she added.

It will be difficult to determine if one state or region is set to be a true leader in quantum, but the foundations they set in place now can help them become key players in the sector, especially as the technology develops. Breakthroughs are happening all the time, Konkoly-Thege said, and states can be at the forefront of them.

“Everybody's looking for that inflection point, and I think the real critical piece is that inflection point is coming very soon, compared to what I think people assumed,” she said. “You'd always hear, ‘Oh, it's been 10 years away for 10 years.’ You're seeing a lot of significant advancement that I think is causing a lot of people to really sit up and take notice, and that's reflective in these state policies.”