October 2025
IN THIS EDITION...
IonQ Raises $2B, bolstering quantum computing
The Launch of the Quantum Learning Lab
QCaMP hits milestone year
NSF, UKRI launch $10M quantum collaborative
School of Mines grads fill gap in Colorado quantum market
Jobs, events, and more!
The Quantum Lead
Billion-Dollar Quantum Leap: IonQ Raises $2B
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.
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!
Quantum Learning
Quantum Learning Lab Launches to Train New Mexico’s Quantum Force
Elevate Quantum, in partnership with Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of New Mexico, are pleased to announce the opening of the Quantum Learning Lab (QuLL), a new training and education hub at CNM’s FUSE Makerspace in Albuquerque, designed to prepare New Mexicans for careers in the fast-growing quantum technology industry. QuLL’s inaugural program, the Quantum Technician Bootcamp, kicked off September 29 and will provide students with hands-on training in the skills needed to support quantum computing, sensing, and communication, creating a first-of-its-kind workforce pipeline for the state and the nation.
The Quantum Learning Lab was established with federal funding secured by New Mexico’s Congressional Delegation and is part of a broader strategy to position New Mexico as a national leader in quantum information science and engineering (QISE).
QuLL provides dedicated lab space for optics, electronics, cryogenics, and cleanroom practices, allowing students to gain practical, hands-on experience with quantum systems, guided by scientists and engineers from Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories.
Quantum Future
QCaMP Has Biggest Year To-Date, Prepares Next Generation for Quantum Computing Careers
The Elevate Quantum Workforce Collaborative has announced results from a partnership with Sandia National Laboratories to expand its 2025 Quantum, Computing, Math and Physics Camp (QCaMP).
QCaMP took place at Sandia National Labs earlier this summer and brought together 132 educators across 14 cohort locations in eight states — its biggest year on record to date.
From 2022 to 2025, QCaMP had 85 New Mexican students and 75 state educators across 16 counties, with an estimated reach of over 7,000 students in the state.
They have also had a reach of more than 3,300 students nationwide, which includes an estimated 2,200 students in the Mountain West.
This year camps were held in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico and New York. A goal for QCaMP is to expand into 25 states in the next five years.
Quantum Advancement
NSF, UKRI Launch $10M Quantum Chemistry Collaborative Effort
The U.S. National Science Foundation and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) are investing in eight joint research projects that could open the door to breakthroughs in quantum computing, ultra-precise navigation and secure communications. The effort is supported by $4.7 million from NSF and £4.2 million from UKRI's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Each project brings together U.S. and U.K. researchers to tackle an underexplored area in science: how quantum information affects chemical reactions and molecular systems, and how that knowledge can be put to use.
By harnessing the inherent complexity of chemical systems, the teams aim to surpass today's quantum technologies, which primarily rely on atoms and photons. The partnership underscores the growing international momentum in quantum research, with the potential to create new and different types of molecular-based qubits and other fundamental components useful for quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communications.
Quantum Investment
Colorado Quantum Fund For Innovative Lending
The Colorado Quantum Fund for Innovative Lending opens for lendings on August 15th!
The Colorado Quantum Fund for Innovative Lending improves access to capital for quantum companies in Colorado by encouraging lenders to make favorable loans to companies by registering up to 15% of the loan in a pooled loan loss reserve. The reserve is accessible with a 100% refundable tax credit, should the lender incur losses associated with those loans.
Nationwide lenders that are interested in building a quantum debt portfolio should reach out to CQF for Innovative Lending program staff for more information today!
Quantum Workforce
CU Boulder, RIT Lead National Study on Quantum Workforce Needs
A team of physicists and education researchers is spearheading the largest study of its kind exploring how the United States can meet the needs of the rapidly growing quantum technology industry.
The study, which launched in 2024, is led by CU Boulder and Rochester Institute of Technology and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Laboratory for Physical Science Qubit Collaboratory.
The project is particularly timely. In 2023, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) named Elevate Quantum—a coalition of 120 organizations in the Mountain West, with CU Boulder as a prime contributor—an official tech hub for quantum information technology. Today, the industry employs 3,000 people in Colorado alone. That number could rise to 10,000 in the next decade, according to some estimates.
In their study, the researchers are surveying the course offerings at more than 1,400 degree-granting institutions in the United States. They will also interview 200 professionals from quantum companies in Colorado and beyond.
The group has captured some of its preliminary results in a series of studies published online ahead of print.
Quantum Development
Colorado-Based Startup Fills Gap in Quantum Market Thanks to School of Mines Graduates
Colorado School of Mines students and graduates are working to fill a gap in the quantum market.
What started as an idea on campus to make a quantum amplifier has now turned into a Colorado-based start-up called Bifrost Electronics.
"The amplifier, our chip that we're building, is about a centimeter by a centimeter — it's a tiny little thing — but what this thing does is enables us to take signals from one area to another without distorting them, and it's a critical component," Logan Pauli, chief technology officer at Bifrost Electronics, explained. "Quantum computing cannot run without these components."
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!