November 2025
IN THIS EDITION...
EQ launches first Quantum Open Architecture System
First-of-its-kind Quantum Sensing Workforce Workshop
ICYMI: EQ’s landmark tech deal, building on UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal
Why Finland’s ambassador was checking Colorado’s quantum industry
Quantum’s future in New Mexico
DOE announces $625M for QIS Research Centers
Jobs, events, and more!
The Quantum Lead
Elevate Quantum & Partners Launch Nation’s First Quantum Open Architecture System in Colorado
Just months after acquiring Boulder’s Oxford Ionics, IonQ secured a $2 billion capital injection from an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group, signaling deepening conviction that quantum computing could be entering a transformative phase.
“This investment provides an opportunity for the IonQ team to continue to grow and expand our ecosystem. IonQ is one of the only quantum companies in the world capable of delivering advanced computing, networking, and sensing solutions across every theatre – on the ground, in the air, and in space,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ.This month, Elevate Quantum, in partnership with Q-CTRL, QuantWare, Qblox, and Maybell Quantum, announced a groundbreaking collaboration to establish the United States’ first Quantum Open Architecture (QOA) system with Quantum-as-a-Service (QaaS) cloud access. This modular, open access, quantum system, appropriately referred to as Quantum Platform for the Advancement of Commercialization (Q-PAC), is designed to accelerate quantum adoption and commercialization, enable cross-platform interoperability, and serve as a national resource for national labs, academic researchers, and quantum companies alike.
The Q-PAC system, to be hosted at Elevate Quantum’s Commercialization Lab located on the Quantum Commons in Colorado, will provide users integrated access to a full, modular, quantum computing stack—from quantum processors to control electronics, cryogenic infrastructure, and advanced software layers—through both cloud and on-premise access.
Quantum Workforce
Elevate Quantum, Lockheed Martin, OEDIT Host First-of-its-Kind Quantum Sensing Workforce Workshop
This month, Elevate Quantum helped advance the conversation around quantum sensing and workforce development. The event include a keynote from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)’s on why quantum sensing is critical to strengthening U.S. GPS and PNT resilience, remarks from Lockheed Martin on the role employers play in building the next generation of quantum workers, and Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Eve Lieberman’s remarks on the State’s commitment to leading the country on quantum education.
The event included powerful perspectives from Lockheed Martin, Mesa Quantum, Apex Atomics, Infleqtion, FieldLine Industries, Vescent, and academic leaders at United States Air Force Academy, Colorado School of Mines, and Front Range Community College, all focused on how we prepare the workforce that will bring these technologies to scale.
Elevate Quantum was especially proud to lead the afternoon working sessions with University of Colorado Boulder’s Q-SEnSE, where industry, education, and government partners came together to align needs, surface shared priorities, and identify actionable next steps. The energy and collaboration made clear that Colorado and New Mexico are setting the pace nationally when it comes to quantum sensing and workforce innovation.
Quantum Recap
ICYMI: Elevate Quantum Signs Landmark Tech Deal, Building on UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal
On November 4th, Elevate Quantum signed a landmark transatlantic technology deal with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and University of Bristol. This agreement follows the first ever Tech Prosperity Deal signed between the UK and US in September, which saw a record-breaking £280 billion of new investment committed by British and American firms.
This agreement – the very first of its kind anywhere in the UK – is an important first step for more investment and jobs across the West of England and the Mountain West region of the United States. Areas of cooperation to drive growth include aligning academic research with industry needs, integrating supply chains, and supporting scale-up quantum businesses.
Quantum World
What’s Working: Why Finland’s Ambassador Was Checking Out Colorado’s Quantum Industry
“The industry right now, we’re kind of settling out which regions are better at which tech,” said Jessi Olsen, Elevate’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “I don’t think one country is ever going to have the entire supply chain, so being able to make those connections for our companies was a huge takeaway MOU or no MOU.”
Colorado’s Sun’s Tamara Chuang visited the SPIE Quantum Catalyst event this month in Boulder, visiting with Leeena-Kaisa Mikkola, Finland’s ambassador to the U.S, to discuss why Colorado is so important for the quantum industry.
Quantum Future
“We’re kind of in the sweet spot”: Albuquerque Journal Highlights Quantum’s Future in New Mexico
The Albuquerque Journal highlights how Elevate Quantum, alongside Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the University of New Mexico, is driving a collaborative push to accelerate quantum commercialization. This effort positions Albuquerque as a key player in the emerging quantum economy, with a focus on workforce development, startup incubation, and national security applications.
The article underscores the region’s growing reputation as a quantum powerhouse, thanks to coordinated efforts across public and private sectors. Elevate Quantum’s leadership in the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs program is central to this momentum, with support from companies like Q Station, IDQ, and Quantum New Mexico Coalition.
Quantum Investment
Energy Department Announces $625 Million to Advance Next Phase of National Quantum Information Science Research Centers
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $625 million in funding to renew its five National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers, originally established under the National Quantum Initiative Act signed into law by President Trump in December 2018.
The renewal of DOE’s National Quantum Information Science Research Centers advances President Trump’s directive to restore American leadership in quantum science and technology. The DOE is aligning its quantum research enterprise with national priorities, focusing resources on advancing critical R&D across the American QIS, strengthening the quantum innovation ecosystem, accelerating discoveries that power next-generation technologies, and securing American leadership in quantum computing, hardware, and applications.
Elevate Quantum looks forward to working alongside its partners in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Labs Inc., teaming with Quantinuum, IonQ, Atom Computing, Infleqtion, and more to develop the quantum ecosystem and ensure we lead the world in quantum science and technology today and into the future.
Quantum Development
DARPA Selects 11 Participants for Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Stage B
Logan Pauli, chief technology officer at Bifrost Electronics, explained. "Quantum computing cannot run without these components."The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has moved its flagship quantum computing effort, the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), into its next phase — or Stage B — a shift from conceptual review toward rigorous technical validation of utility-scale quantum architectures. A total of 11 companies have moved into Stage B, Atom Computing and Quantinuum.
For a full list of companies in Stage B and to learn more, visit the link below.
Elevate Quantum is Hiring!
Looking to help lead the Mountain West into the quantum future? Elevate Quantum is hiring across a number of open positions, including Director of Program Management and Head of Technical Sales & Strategic Partnerships.
Learn more about available careers at Elevate Quantum and across the Colorado quantum ecosystem!
Have an event, job posting or achievement to celebrate with the quantum community? Click below to submit your information, and we’ll update here and on our website!