IonQ and EPB to Establish Quantum Communications Research Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee

IonQ has announced plans to establish the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center in collaboration with energy and communications company EPB, marking a major step forward in the commercialization of quantum networking infrastructure in the United States.

Set to be located in Chattanooga, a city in the southeast of the state, the center will house the "world's first commercial quantum memory embedded within an operational communications network," the partners said. The announcement comes roughly a year after the two companies launched the EPB Quantum Center in the same city, underscoring the accelerating momentum of quantum research and deployment in the region.

Maryland-based quantum computing firm IonQ will commit $15 million over a five-year period for the project, while EPB will provide the live network development test bed and serve as the primary commercialization partner. The investment reflects a growing trend among quantum computing companies to move beyond laboratory settings and into real-world network environments where practical applications can be tested and scaled.

In a statement, EPB said that work undertaken at the center would support the company's plans to interlink quantum computers, quantum research nodes, and related commercial facilities, whilst simultaneously expanding Tennessee's "already deep commitment to hosting a unique and expansive quantum ecosystem."

"Interconnecting quantum computers at multiple locations and linking them directly to end users lays the foundation for the full suite of applications of quantum communications," said IonQ chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi. "Quantum memories that store and process quantum information over fiber channels are essential building blocks for transforming quantum machines into more powerful long-range architectures. Establishing a quantum memory R&D capability that sits atop a working fiber optic network will speed the development and deployment of innovative quantum technologies to accelerate commercialization of the quantum Internet, driving economic growth and job creation within participating communities."

EPB president and CEO-elect Janet Rehberg added: "Across Tennessee, leading universities, national laboratories and private companies are advancing quantum research and development. By partnering with IonQ, we will connect those efforts through real-world quantum networking capabilities and bring some of the world's most advanced quantum memory expertise to Chattanooga."

The Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center builds on a previously established partnership between the two companies, which oversaw the launch of the EPB Quantum Center last year. First announced in May 2025, the EPB Quantum Center in Tennessee hosts an IonQ Forte Enterprise quantum computer, in addition to the existing EPB Quantum Network. That project was launched with the aim of establishing Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the "first quantum computing and networking hub in the US," the two companies said at the time.

The new center is expected to serve as a catalyst for further quantum innovation in the region, providing researchers and commercial partners with access to advanced quantum memory capabilities integrated directly into a live fiber optic network. Industry observers note that the ability to store and process quantum information over fiber channels is widely seen as a critical enabler for building scalable, long-range quantum communication systems, which could eventually underpin everything from secure data transmission to distributed quantum computing.