Capital of Quantum

The University of Maryland is accelerating a statewide effort to amp up discovery and economic growth in quantum science and engineering, fields that could revolutionize education, health care and commerce. As quantum computers evolve from infancy to early capability, they could soon tackle  problems that would take today’s most powerful supercomputers millions, or even billions, of years to solve. That kind of leap promises disruptive breakthroughs as we build the Capital of Quantum in College Park.

Our roots in quantum run deep. In 2006, our nationally ranked physics department partnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and UMD’s Laboratory for Physical Sciences to launch the Joint Quantum Institute, igniting a globally renowned hub of quantum discovery.

The University of Maryland now counts 10 world-class centers and institutes and hundreds of researchers exploring new scientific and technological horizons, from unraveling the mysteries of the quantum fabric of the universe to revolutionizing telecommunications. Today, UMD is recognized as a premier location not just for quantum innovation, but also education. U.S. News & World Report ranks us No. 2 in the nation among public institutions for graduate programs in quantum physics.

This progress has given root to a flourishing quantum business ecosystem. Our Discovery District is  home to IonQ, born from UMD labs and now the only publicly traded company solely focused on quantum computing hardware, software and networking. And it’s just the beginning. Startups are emerging through UMD’s Quantum Startup Foundry business accelerator, while the private Quantum Catalyzer (Q-Cat), founded by Dr. Ronald Walsworth, professor and director of the Quantum Technology Center at UMD, is propelling other ventures. Next up: Tech giant Microsoft will open its quantum R&D lab in our backyard.

Our partners in quantum science also include state and federal agencies. A cooperative effort between the state of Maryland, the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) will create a quantum benchmarking hub in UMD’s Discovery District to assess national security and commercial quantum computing applications. In addition, ARLIS, IonQ and UMD are collaborating on a project funded by the Secretary of the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management Office to advance quantum computers in national security.

None of this would have been possible without partnerships across state and federal government and the support of our Terp community. Together, we’re growing the next-generation quantum economy right here in College Park.