Becoming a leader in quantum computing doesn’t come cheap, but Maryland isn’t backing down from the challenge.
While widespread commercial use is still years away, Gov. Wes Moore sees a chance for the state to stake an early claim in what many consider the next computing revolution.
“The ability to be in legislators’ backyard and show them things you’re building is valuable.”
Daniel Goetzel, harvard university
A strategic $1 billion plan — the Capital of Quantum Initiative — is how he hopes Maryland can get there. The effort puts Maryland in direct competition with states like Illinois, where leaders have already committed hundreds of millions of dollars to building a quantum industry.
Still, Maryland holds a geographic advantage, said Daniel Goetzel, an economic development researcher at Harvard University.
“The ability to be in legislators’ backyard and show them things you’re building is valuable,” Goetzel said. “But it’s also not the end-all, be-all.”
Overall, however, the approaches in Maryland and Illinois aren’t so different. Illinois is building a 128-acre quantum park on Chicago’s Southeast Side, with the state committing roughly $700 million to the project, according to reporting from the Illinois Answers Project.
Maryland is spending millions anchoring its efforts at the University of Maryland, College Park, which has long nurtured a quantum scene. Plus, the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security is building a new $25 million quantum center with federal funding.
In its 2026 budget, Maryland set aside $35 million for quantum initiatives, according to a Commerce Department spokesperson. For 2027, Gov. Moore doubled down with a $74 million proposal, though lawmakers are still hashing out which measures to approve.
At a higher level, Illinois ranked first in federal contract funding for quantum research, according to a report from commercial real estate firm Newmark.
That’s not to say that Maryland is falling behind. Beyond the location advantage highlighted by Goetzel, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) signed an agreement with the state for up to $100 million in potential funding. But it remains unclear whether the initiative has led to any financial backing.
DARPA also recently backed quantum efforts in Illinois and New Mexico with similar matching-fund programs.
The Chicago park is also buoyed by significant private investment. Blue Owl Capital, a private equity firm, dedicated $200 million to building a facility on the new campus.
That’s a place where Maryland stands out. Microsoft announced a new quantum research center at UMD’s Discovery District, though the exact private contribution is not disclosed.
The state is also placing its bets on IonQ, a UMD spinout that’s acquired a slate of quantum technology companies in recent years. The state earmarked $15 million in its 2026 budget to help build IonQ’s new headquarters in College Park after the company warned it might leave without more support.
IonQ is currently valued at nearly $12 billion, though recent reporting from Fortune has raised questions about its revenue data.
Here’s everything we know about the state of quantum investments in Maryland across the federal, state and private sectors.
