Last week, three US states (New York, Illinois and Maryland) unveiled plans to accelerate quantum R&D and commercialization, a move that could strengthen the US photonics supply chain, expand the talent pipeline and boost growth across application sectors.

New York: US$300 million at Stony Brook

On 17 September Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled plans to build a $300 million Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at Stony Brook University. The hub will focus on quantum communication and networking, areas that lean heavily on integrated photonics, single photon sources and detectors, and low-loss fibre infrastructure.

The state framed the hub as a way to cement leadership while federal research budgets face uncertainty. Stony Brook already hosts one of the largest quantum networks in the US and officials say the investment will expand its research facilities and workforce training programs in the region.

Illinois: Building a Quantum Campus

These state-led investments could be pivotal to creating demand for essential components to quantum communication and new career opportunities for researchers and engineers in the field.

At the Quantum World Congress 2025 (16-18 September, Tysons, VA, US), Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a $500 million to develop the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a first-of-its-kind campus for quantum technology and chip-scale innovation. The state also committed US$200 million in funding to support the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a hub linking universities, national labs and industry in quantum research and commercialization.

These investments add to a public–private partnership between quantum information company Infleqtion, the National Quantum Algorithms Centre and the IQMP to build a neutral-atom quantum computer in Chicago.

Collectively, these efforts establish Illinois as a key center for building next-generation quantum hardware and a testbed for bringing those technologies to market.

Maryland: Microsoft joins Capital of Quantum

Also on 17 September, Governor Wes Moore announced a partnership between the University of Maryland and Microsoft to establish a quantum research centre at the university’s Discovery District, an innovation hub in College Park that brings together academic research, startups and industry.

The center is part of Maryland’s Capital of Quantum initiative, a program established in 2025 aimed at attracting over US$1 billion in public and private investment and secure the state’s place as the nation’s quantum hub.

For the photonics community, these state-led investments could be pivotal to creating demand for essential components to quantum communication and new career opportunities for researchers and engineers in the field. They also signal a “federalist” approach to quantum policy, with states acting as investors and driving the transition from innovation to commercialization.