Quantum Computing Gets A New Boost

Governor Wes Moore Announces Push To Center Quantum Technology In Prince George’s

By Gil Griffin

The University of Maryland and the U.S. Department of Defense this week announced the launching of an eight-year partnership to track and measure the benefits of quantum computing, to be based at the school.

At a ceremony at the University’s Discovery District in Riverdale Park, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore formally inaugurated the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub. Scientists with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — a Defense Department research and development branch — will work with University researchers, at the school’s Applied Research Laboratory for I ntelligence and Security.

According to Moore, the initiative has garnered $100 million in matched federal investments into the state’s quantum sector over the next four years.

DARPA, meanwhile, will collaborate with the school to evaluate how quantum computing can be best used to enhance national security.

The announcement of the Hub follows Moore’s ambitious January initiation of “The Capital of Quantum,” project. The idea is to transform both Maryland and the University of Maryland into vanguards of the quantum computing movement by attracting upwards of $1 billion in private sector investments and federal government funding. The initiative also calls for the hiring of about 250 employees and supporting quantum startup firms.

College Park-based quantum research firm IonQ is expected to play a large role.

“Quantum,” Moore told the audience at the Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub event, “is going to have a remarkable impact on the human condition and its home is going to be right here in Maryland.”

Information found in The Diamondback April 28, 2025 is part of the reporting within this article.