The University of Maryland and Zapata Quantum, Inc. (OTC: ZPTA) have launched a research collaboration to implement formal verification in quantum software development. This partnership aims to transition beyond manual, error-prone coding by using mathematical proofs to ensure that quantum algorithms behave correctly as they scale. The initiative seeks to establish a “verification-first” model, a standard practice in mission-critical classical computing that has remained a nascent field in quantum application development until now.

As quantum hardware transitions toward the fault-tolerant era, the translation of complex mathematical formulas into physical quantum circuits represents a significant failure point. Formal verification addresses this by mathematically proving that the high-level algorithm matches the executed quantum circuit, providing verified benchmarks for hardware resources such as qubits and gate depth, and enabling the development of algorithms too complex to be validated through classical simulation. The collaboration’s first major output will be a formally verified implementation of Shor’s factoring algorithm, which the team intends to serve as a foundational template for other high-value domains including quantum chemistry, materials science, optimization, and finance.

The project is led by Yudong Cao, a co-founder of Zapata Quantum, and Runzhou Tao, an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland and Fellow at the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science. As the only publicly traded, hardware-agnostic quantum software company, Zapata Quantum plans to publish the verified Shor’s implementation and resource estimates to allow for independent validation and reuse by the broader research and engineering community. This approach is intended to bridge the “collective action problem” in the industry, where systemic under-investment in application substantiation has previously hindered the path to commercial viability.

Read the official announcement from Zapata Quantum here.

January 12, 2026

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