Denver, CO – June 10, 2025 — Today, Elevate Quantum, the Mountain West’s regional innovation engine for quantum technology, has announced IBM’s membership, joining the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), and 11 major academic partners, to enable the U.S Economic Development Administration quantum Tech Hub advance quantum innovation and workforce development. IBM will provide educational resources for Elevate Quantum to help train over 3,500 learners by 2030 in quantum software and algorithms, thereby supporting nearly 30% of the anticipated quantum workforce needed for the Mountain West, which Elevate Quantum aims to develop over the next decade.

“IBM is happy to provide Elevate Quantum and their academic partners the education resources that will help expand access to quantum learning opportunities throughout the Mountain West,” said Scott Crowder, Vice President, IBM Quantum Adoption. “Quantum computing has the potential to solve problems beyond the reach of today’s classical computers—but only if we have a workforce ready to harness its power. Our open access, Qiskit Developer Certification, and wide array of tutorials on the IBM Quantum Learning Platform, among a number of resources, are helping empower learners across the region to be part of the rapidly growing quantum workforce.”

Elevate Quantum has already:

• Identified 11 institutions in the Mountain West with academic programs aligned to quantum computing, including Front Range Community College, Red Rocks Community College, and University of Wyoming.
• Identified 18 courses with relevant curricula for introducing quantum computing through IBM’s open quantum education resources.
• Set plans to introduce over 500 students at the participating 11 universities to quantum computing in Fall 2025 alone.

“IBM’s leadership in quantum education will be invaluable to our regional strategy,” said Lucy Sanders, Chair of Elevate Quantum Workforce Collaborative. Jessi Olsen, strategic lead and COO/CFO of Elevate Quantum adds, “IBM’s resources will help us ensure the Mountain West develops the quantum talent and applications needed to power new industries, solve national challenges, and lead the world in quantum innovation.”

Being able to provide IBM’s educational resources to Elevate Quantum’s partner universities helps address a national and global challenge. An IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study identified talent shortages as the top barrier to enterprise quantum adoption. A McKinsey report found that there is only one qualified quantum candidate for every three open positions. According to the QED-C State of the Quantum Industry 2025 report, over 7,400 quantum jobs were open in 2024 alone.

To learn more about Elevate Quantum, visit www.elevatequantum.org.

About Elevate Quantum
Elevate Quantum is a consortium of more than 120 partners across government, industry, and academia working to catalyze the quantum economy in the Mountain West region. By coordinating investments, workforce development, and commercialization pathways, Elevate Quantum is building a nationally competitive regional engine for quantum innovation.