With its fiscal year 2027 budget signed into law, Maryland is continuing its efforts to be the Capital of Quantum.

Tens of millions of dollars have been designated to growing the state’s quantum sector, including $20 million to support IonQ’s new Maryland headquarters. In 2021, IonQ became the first publicly-traded pure-play hardware and software company in the quantum computing space, and it has continued growing its presence in Maryland (and around the world) ever since.

Additionally, $12 million will be used to recruit quantum field experts to both the University of Maryland, College Park and the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). This funding arrives in conjunction with ARLIS officially breaking ground on its new 110,000 square-foot headquarters in Prince George’s County, where it will conduct research for the Department of Defense on AI, information engineering, and quantum applications.

Since launching its Capital of Quantum initiative, Maryland has secured more than $500 million in quantum investments—including a partnership with Microsoft to launch a quantum research center in College Park and an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to establish the “Capital of Quantum Benchmarking Hub”. These efforts – combined with a slew of innovations coming from Maryland’s emerging technology companies – ensure that the state will continue growing its competitiveness for years to come.