Building the Capital of Quantum

The Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel opened in secret at the dawn of the Cold War. A gift to the University of Maryland from the aircraft industry titan whose name it bears, the facility was used to develop U.S. military planes and missiles for a looming showdown with the Soviet Union. Long since declassified, it still works with government agencies as well as civilian companies, though it might be best known locally for giving guests a hair-whipping thrill at UMD’s annual open house.

Early this year, the 76-year-old facility briefly slipped back into its shadowy security role. University officials gave the startup company Patero, based in a UMD business accelerator, a chance to test its technology by locking down the tunnel’s computer systems—not against midcentury spycraft, but a futuristic form of cyberattack that doesn’t yet exist.

The work lay in the quantum arena, where firms and nations are racing to introduce the first powerful quantum computer, a machine that could potentially sow chaos by quickly defeating currently invulnerable data security measures. But it could also be used to create revolutionary, life-enhancing advances in pharmaceuticals, ultra-secure networking, the fabrication of new material with unheard-of properties, and other areas.

From left: IonQ Executive Chair and Chairman of the Board Peter Chapman takes Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Gov. Wes Moore and UMD President Darryll J. Pines on a tour of the company’s College Park headquarters. The world’s first publicly traded quantum hardware and software company, IonQ was founded on trapped-ion computing technology developed in UMD labs. (Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle)

To help ensure society reaps these benefits while fending off risks, the University of Maryland is redoubling its efforts, along with the state and a range of business partners including Patero, to cement the region as a global hub of quantum research and innovation.

Gov. Wes Moore announced this strategic initiative, dubbed “The Capital of Quantum,” in January. It includes plans to attract $1 billion in investments over the next five years to support quantum research and training across the university and beyond, including new faculty hires and facilities; a deepening of the relationship with IonQ, a world-leading quantum computing and networking firm spun off from UMD research and headquartered in the university’s Discovery District; support for academic degrees and educational programs to help expand the quantum workforce; and investment funds to grow the expanding ecosystem of quantum startups and firms around College Park.

“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,” Moore said at the initiative’s launch event at IonQ.

The funding will come from a combination of state funds, matching federal grants, private-sector investments and philanthropic contributions, and includes an initial $27.5 million submission in Moore’s FY26 state budget request that is expected to catalyze an additional $200 million in state funds from the university and its partners.

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