Quantum in
Greater Washington
A constellation of assets, stakeholders, talent, and intellectual ferment, and U.S. government and industry heft make the DMV the best region in the country for quantum leadership.
Building a top-five quantum-ready region by market size and talent pool.
Greater Washington has built a strong quantum industry cluster foundation across the value chain, from research and engineering to application and manufacturing. Our region is home to leading academic research institutions in quantum science and engineering, multiple federal agencies guiding the National Quantum Initiative, nationally focused quantum industry coalitions driving innovation and manufacturing, and industry leaders with large investments and interests in quantum technologies.
The PQIC Regional Network Map, representing quantum assets and infrastructure across the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
Quantum can be Greater Washington’s regional growth cluster of the 2020s, much like cybersecurity was for the 2010s.
Greater Washington is one of only a handful of regions in the world that has the research ecosystem, industry alignment, federal government presence and the collaborative framework in place to capture future economic opportunities in this field. In 2020, based on a recommendation from the COVID-19 Strategic Renewal Task Force consisting of 51 leaders focused on strategic regional renewal efforts, Connected DMV founded the Potomac Quantum Innovation Center (PQIC) to equip Greater Washington for long-term leadership in quantum science, engineering, education, and innovation.
Our Regional Integration Model
PQIC integrates across the following key stakeholders to accelerate and scale collaborative innovation; and ensure an inclusive and equitable regional industry cluster:
 White Background |  Academia & Education |
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 Research Labs & FFRDCs | White Background |
 Startups & Incubators |  PQIC Regional Model Photos for Website |
 Industry & Business | White Background |
 Non-Profits & Foundations |  Public Sector |
Academia & Education
Major K-12 school districts from across the region as well as 20+ institutions of higher learning with over 300,000 students including major quantum research and innovation institutions such as UMD – College Park, George Mason University, Howard University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Morgan State University, and Virginia Tech
The Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance, based at UMD – College Park, brings together 200+ technical quantum experts across 11 universities, 4 US Government research centers / labs, and 6 Fortune 500s in an inclusive forum to engage and collaborate on education, thought leadership and building a vibrant and diverse ecosystem to support quantum innovation
Research Labs & FFRDCs
12 of 46 Federally Funded R&D Centers located in Greater Washington
106 federal laboratories located across the District of Columbia, state of Maryland, and Commonwealth of Virginia
Industry & Business
130+ companies engaged in the quantum value chain including IonQ, Cambridge Quantum Computing, IBM, Honeywell, Amazon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Accenture, Raytheon, Microsoft, SRI International, and The MITRE Corporation
Leading metropolitan region for key quantum-adjacent and quantum-enabling industries such as IT and technology, cybersecurity, life sciences, energy and environment, transportation and space tech, and national security
Public Sector
Seat of U.S. Federal Government and global power; 24 local jurisdictions across DC, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia
Headquarters of relevant federal government departments and agencies such as DOD, DOE, NIST, NSF, NSA, CIA, DOT, NIH, FDA
Non-Profits & Foundations
Location of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), the primary federally supported ecosystem enabler focused on growing a commercial quantum-based industry and supply chain in the US; as well as the Quantum Industry Coalition
Regional organizations such as the Maryland Tech Council, Northern Virginia Technology Council, and others help position the region for success in the quantum era
Startups & Incubators
Quantum Startup Foundry, one of only two startup incubators in the US focused exclusively on quantum technology businesses
Home of IonQ, the first pure-play quantum computing company to conduct an initial public offering (IPO)