Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Quantinuum, described as the world’s largest integrated quantum computing company, announced plans earlier this week to open a new location in New Mexico.

This anticipated site will support ongoing collaborative efforts to advance the photonics technologies critical to furthering Quantinuum’s product development. Photonics, the science and technology of light, is essential to the advancement of Quantinuum’s trapped ion quantum computing technologies, which use light to control and manipulate qubits.

Why would the Broomfield, CO-based company pick the state known as the Land of Enchantment?

New Mexico has established itself as a leader in quantum information sciences and the development of photonics and other enabling technologies, according to a news release from Quantinuum. In July 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, as part of its “Tech Hubs” program, officially designated Colorado, home to Quantinuum’s U.S. headquarters, and New Mexico as leading hubs for quantum information technology.

As previously reported in teknovation.biz, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB24-1325 on May 28, 2024, which creates “two tax incentives to support the development of the quantum technology ecosystem in the state.” One incentive creates a 100 percent refundable income tax credit for qualifying investments in fixed capital assets as part of a coordinated plan to create a shared quantum facility from 2025 to 2033. The other creates a 100 percent refundable income tax credit to offset losses incurred in connection with a registered loan to a quantum company for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2026, but before January 1, 2046.

Then in August, the National Science Foundation announced that the University of New Mexico would lead one of five projects for quantum technology. Titled “Quantum Computing Applications of Photonics (QCAP),” it is a collaboration with New Mexico State University, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Skorpios Technologies Inc., and Hoonify Technologies Inc. The team’s goal is to make quantum computers on chips using monolithically integrated quantum photonics to eventually develop this technology into a commercially viable product through partnership with industry.

Quantinuum’s New Mexico location, anticipated to open later this year, is expected to create high-paying jobs and drive economic growth. Quantinuum has a longstanding history of collaboration with experts from the national laboratories in New Mexico, such as Sandia and Los Alamos, and universities, such as the University of New Mexico, in showcasing the performance of the company’s trapped ion quantum computing hardware. These partnerships have not only advanced the exploration of innovative applications and use cases, but have also been instrumental in supporting workforce development, education and various other efforts in the state and region.

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