Microsoft will open a new quantum research center in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District as part of the state’s “Capital of Quantum” initiative. The center, a result of a collaboration between Microsoft, the University of Maryland Enterprise Corporation (UMEC), and the State of Maryland, is intended to serve as a development hub for next-generation quantum technologies.
The center will support collaborative hardware and software development and will feature a prototype of Microsoft’s topological quantum computer. The prototype is based on the Majorana 1 quantum chip, a topological qubit design intended to deliver error-resistant quantum systems. The center’s proximity to DARPA will provide access to the technology for its test and evaluation team. Microsoft is a participant in DARPA’s US2QC program, where it intends to build a fault-tolerant prototype based on topological qubits.
The new research center is intended to unite state and federal leadership on quantum in the D.C. capital region and attract skilled quantum experts to the state. The “Capital of Quantum” initiative is a public-private partnership that aims to catalyze over $1 billion in investments in Maryland’s quantum industry, with an initial $52.5 million investment from the state. The initiative also includes a partnership with DARPA to establish the “Capital Quantum Benchmarking Hub,” which formalizes a state and federal government partnership for testing and evaluating quantum information science.
Read the full announcement from the Governor’s Office here and the Microsoft blog here. For additional context, review QCR’s previous report on the Maryland/DARPA partnership here.
September 17, 2025
