The state of New Mexico and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have signed an agreement to establish the Quantum Frontier Project. This is part of a broader $315 million quantum computing initiative, announced by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, that aims to accelerate quantum innovation and commercialization in the state. The project directly supports DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI).
The $315 million investment is structured to provide $185 million from the state’s sovereign wealth fund for private venture capital firms to invest in quantum businesses in New Mexico. DARPA and the state will each contribute up to $60 million over four years for a validation program designed to vet and position projects for commercial viability. An additional $25 million from the state will go toward a venture studio, led by Roadrunner Venture Studios, to pair scientists with entrepreneurs.
The Quantum Frontier Project will leverage the state’s universities, private-sector innovators, and national laboratories, including Sandia and Los Alamos. It includes plans for a quantum network to connect labs and businesses, with a central hub in Albuquerque, which is expected to come online by mid-2026. This infrastructure is intended to be used to test and evaluate the progress of quantum computing companies toward the QBI’s mission of achieving utility-scale quantum computing by 2033.
New Mexico is the latest state to enter a partnership on QBI, following similar agreements with Illinois and Maryland. The initiative builds on the state’s foundation of advanced research and is positioned to maintain national security and technological competitiveness. Joe Altepeter, QBI program manager, noted that the project will allow DARPA to leverage the state’s quantum R&D and testing infrastructure to help verify the claims of quantum computing companies.
Read the full announcement in Reuters here, from the New Mexico Governor’s Office here, and from DARPA here.
September 2, 2025
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