IonQ and EPB Launch Quantum Communications Research Center in Chattanooga

IonQ Inc. will invest $15 million over five years to establish the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center in Chattanooga, in collaboration with EPB. The center will feature a commercial quantum memory unit embedded in a live fiber optic network, enabling long-distance quantum information sharing.

Approximately two dozen jobs, including research scientists and trainees, are expected to be created, with projected economic benefits for Tennessee estimated at two to three times the investment. This initiative builds on an existing partnership between IonQ and EPB, which includes the EPB Quantum Center with an IonQ Forte Enterprise quantum computer. Research indicates EPB's quantum assets may yield up to $1.1 billion in community benefits over the next decade.