Montana State University (MSU) has announced the launch of its new QCORE (Quantum Collaborative Research and Education) facility, a 12,600-square-foot interdisciplinary research center located on MSU’s Innovation Campus. As part of this launch, Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI) has delivered and installed a 9-qubit Novera™ QPU at the facility, making MSU the first academic institution with an on-premises Rigetti quantum computer. The QCORE facility is supported by approximately 60 organizations, including $44.7 million from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), a grant received in 2023 to purchase specialized equipment.
The Novera QPU is a 9-qubit quantum processing unit based on Rigetti’s Ankaa™-class architecture, which features tunable couplers and a square lattice. It is manufactured in Rigetti’s Fab-1, a dedicated quantum device manufacturing facility. The collaboration between Rigetti and MSU, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding, will focus on a variety of initiatives, including research projects related to quantum hardware and hybrid quantum systems, workforce development activities, and the co-development and testing of enabling technologies and quantum system components.
In addition to the Rigetti system, the QCORE facility houses two ORCA PT Series photonic quantum systems and one of five quantum network test beds in the world. MSU’s Spectrum Lab, which is part of QCORE, also received an $18 million grant from the AFRL to create a new multi-node network that combines traditional and quantum networking. The facility’s mission is to foster economic growth, academic excellence, and workforce development in quantum technologies, which includes research translation, a business incubator for startups, and workforce education programs.
The successful installation of the Rigetti system is viewed as a step toward building scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computers and advancing the NQCC’s testbeds initiative. Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, CEO of Rigetti, noted that hands-on access to the technology is key for research and workforce development. The facility’s opening is being celebrated with a three-day Grand Challenges in Quantum Systems Summit, starting August 20, with keynote speakers from the AFRL and the University of Maryland, along with panel discussions and presentations from around 35 companies and organizations.
Read the full announcement from Montana State University here, the Rigetti press release here, and review QCR’s previous coverage of the ORCA deployment here.
August 20, 2025
