There, an emerging ecosystem of talent and innovation is working to turn the technology’s extraordinary potential into real-world impact, backed by $1 billion in combined investment over the next five years.

Along with life sciences and aerospace , quantum is one of three “lighthouse” industries targeted by Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s administration for amplified spending and growth. Applying the principles of quantum science–which studies fundamentals of how matter and energy behave—quantum innovation can help tackle problems exponentially more complex than is possible with today’s technology, and pave the way for breakthroughs in communication, computing, machine learning, imaging and beyond.

“We will not back off of traditional, strong industry sectors from tourism to agriculture to manufacturing, but we want to diversify and grow our economy and that’s a reason why we’re in quantum,” says Harry Coker Jr., Maryland’s Secretary of Commerce. Prior to this role, Coker advised the nation’s leaders on cybersecurity strategy and policy as U.S. National Cyber Director. He’s also held senior leadership positions at the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, where he was executive director until 2019.

Maryland’s investment builds on the state’s uniquely strong roots in quantum innovation, with academic institutions like the University of Maryland (UMD), defense organizations like the National Security Agency, global partnerships like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and commercial enterprises like the multi-billion dollar quantum software developer IonQ—all advancing the potential of quantum technology in the state.

Below, explore Maryland’s ecosystem of quantum innovation, and learn how it’s become a strategic launchpad for the technology’s growth.

In January, Gov. Moore announced the Capital of Quantum initiative as part of his state budget proposal for 2026. The approved budget commits $42.5 million to launch the effort—an investment expected to unlock up to $200 million in additional support from federal partners, commercial investors and philanthropic organizations. This is part of a larger, five-year plan to generate $1 billion in total quantum funding through public-private collaboration.

“Quantum is not just the future of one industry sector like IT, but the future of every industry. The next generation of advanced computing power can change how data is analyzed, how products are developed, how businesses identify opportunities and risks, and how they plan for the future,” said Gov. Moore. “This has the potential to transform every part of our economy and society, from national security to health care. Maryland already has extraordinary assets and partnerships to support quantum development, and we have a clear strategy to build on those assets and make our state the quantum capital of the world.”

UMD will get a sizable upgrade in quantum technology presence and investment. Over $185 million is committed to erect a new building at the university, which will include hands-on research opportunities in on-site quantum labs. The state has also committed $10 million to help develop a new 100,000 square-foot headquarters for IonQ, the commercial quantum computer operation originally founded on the UMD campus.

Founded in 2015, but building on decades of quantum computing dedication, Maryland-born IonQ uses lasers to trap and manipulate ions, constructing computer chassis around them about the size of commercial refrigerators. Unlike GPU farms, which need extreme amounts of power and cooling to operate, IonQ’s quantum computers plug into regular wall power. The company’s rapid, innovative pace has yielded over 900 patents and counting.

“Quantum is no longer a technology that’s just around the corner,” says Niccolo de Masi, President and CEO of IonQ. Instead, he believes that decades of hard work is now beginning to have a mainstream payoff.

IonQ was the first quantum computing specialist to be listed on a major exchange and today carries a multi-billion dollar capitalization. It counts among its clients multiple defense agency labs along with giants in aerospace, pharmaceuticals, fraud detection and renewable energy. Solving problems like the most efficient way to use an aircraft cargo hold, or helping devise the next generation of long-term storage batteries, is only part of the IonQ mission.

“Human ingenuity, classical artificial intelligence and quantum AI will find solutions to problems that we never even thought we needed to solve,” de Masi says.

The Capital of Quantum campaign will take five years to fund. It will take even longer to realize its full, long-term impact. But Coker is confident that the money heading to key universities will show its worth quickly. As Maryland students better prepare for a quantum computing era, Maryland companies will be better able to hire and retain local citizens, who will in turn help define what the future of quantum looks like.

“A very key short-term return is talent development, because a number of our top-flight colleges and universities in the state have quantum majors and other quantum studies,” he says.

UMD in particular has earned a reputation for excellence in quantum research. Over the past decade alone, over 100 physics PhDs with quantum science specialties have graduated. The university is one of just five schools engaged in a National Science Foundation program which uses quantum computers to further simulate and model the quantum mechanics they rely upon.

But across the state, other institutions including Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County have also developed robust quantum physics programs. Statewide, hundreds of faculty members teach quantum.

This momentum has made Maryland a destination for the world’s top talent and leading research to converge.

“Maryland has the academic institutions to press this forward, Maryland also has key federal installations, and those are all key to computing and cybersecurity and helping us advance quantum computing,” Coker says. “From our cell phones, to our laptops, to our video, they're all going to need a post-quantum cryptography capability as well.”

The state of Maryland is taking a bold step to ensure that the future of quantum technology is imagined, researched and brought to life in its universities, laboratories and federal installations. With one of just two quantum-specific business accelerators in the U.S. and the first publicly traded quantum pioneer, IonQ, Maryland’s focused five-year investment will unlock new opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneur and physicist.

“Every element of the legislative and executive branch in Maryland understands how unique Maryland has been in supporting quantum now for 30 years,” de Masi says. “And we expect that our interest in an ecosystem here is only going to increase in its depth and breadth, along with our investment.”

The future looks bright in the Mid-Atlantic for highly innovative, low-power technology that solves problems previous generations couldn’t even guess at.