Roadrunner Quantum Lab opens in Albuquerque with IonQ, Diraq and QuEra among Initial tenants. September 29, 2026 Press play to listen to this content ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Sept. 29, 2026 - Roadrunner Venture Studios and New Mexico's Technology and Innovation Office (TIO) today debuted the Roadrunner Quantum Lab (RQL) Powered by the State of New Mexico. Built in Albuquerque's Innovation District, the new 35,000-square-foot facility will be an anchor for New Mexico's $450M commitment to quantum, granting essential access to resources such as lab space, specialized equipment, and collaborations with leading researchers. "The Roadrunner Quantum Lab cements New Mexico's place at the forefront of quantum research in America," said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. "It's paying off in high-paying jobs and meaningful opportunities for New Mexicans to lead at the cutting edge of quantum technology." The RQL has already attracted leading quantum information science companies to the space to build alongside new startups and researchers. These companies include Diraq, IonQ, Quantum Machines, Conductor Quantum, Mesa Quantum, QBoltz, Photon Queue, QuEra, and Manzano Systems as well as Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Elevate Quantum, and the Quantum New Mexico Institute. "New Mexico has been a home for quantum information science for decades, and it's now emerging as a place where quantum companies can grow and thrive," said David Kistin, the Director of the Roadrunner Quantum Lab. "The RQL is helping bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry partners to build a stronger quantum ecosystem across the Southwest." The lab is a direct result of the State of New Mexico's selection of Roadrunner Venture Studios and its coalition partners to establish and operate a quantum venture studio. "New Mexico doesn't just talk about the future of quantum; we build the room where it happens," said Economic Development New Mexico Secretary Rob Black. "The Roadrunner Quantum Lab gives quantum startups access to the infrastructure, equipment and connections they need to turn breakthrough research into companies, products and high-skill jobs here in New Mexico." Initial tenants at the RQL include: * Diraq * IonQ * Sandia National Laboratories * Los Alamos National Laboratory * Quantum Machines * QBoltz * Mesa Quantum * Elevate Quantum * QuEra Computing * Conductor Quantum * Photon Queue * Manzano Systems * Noblespace "A year ago, we set out to prove that New Mexico could turn decades of research strength into real companies and real jobs," said TIO Director Nora Meyers Sackett. "Today that promise has walls, equipment, and startups walking through the door. This is what we mean when we say, 'Next starts here.'" To support the work of the studio and RQL, Roadrunner organized a New Mexico quantum coalition last year, which includes nearly a dozen partners spanning national laboratories (Sandia, Los Alamos), private industry (QuEra Computing, Maybell, Qunnect, Resonance), academic institutions (University of New Mexico) and venture capital firms (DCVC, Playground Global, Quantonation). To find out more about the facility, visit its website at roadrunnerquantumlab.com. About Roadrunner Venture Studios Roadrunner is the nation's first venture studio purpose-built for hard science company creation. The studio works with national labs, research institutions, and venture capital firms to turn research in advanced energy, robotics, precision manufacturing, and quantum into scalable, venture-backable companies. For more information, visit www.roadrunnerventurestudios.com. The U.S. Department of Energy is launching a competition with up to $215 million in planned... OpenAI says one of its AI systems has solved a math problem that has stumped... Quantum practitioners should stop wondering if quantum computer hardware is ready soon and start worrying... IBM has made its Nighthawk r2 quantum processor available through the IBM Quantum Platform, with... The recently launched Genesis Mission includes a wide range of projects aimed at using advanced... Scientists running large simulations can end up with terabytes of data that then has to...

Four quantum firms join ABQ-Net to validate defense and security Technologies. Four commercial quantum companies - Infleqtion, Aliro Technologies, Tensora, and Bandelier Technologies - have officially signed on to leverage ABQ-Net, the first open-access, entanglement-based quantum network testbed in the United States. Built by Brooklyn-based quantum networking developer Qunnect in partnership with Roadrunner Venture Studios and supported by the New Mexico Technology and Innovation Office, ABQ-Net gives founders live metropolitan fiber testing environments to develop and validate physics-based security, distributed sensing, and network protocols without investing in capital-intensive internal infrastructure. The network forms a core operational pillar of New Mexico's broader $450 million state initiative to accelerate quantum technology commercialization. The inaugural cohort will deploy distinct quantum hardware and software workloads across ABQ-Net's live metro fiber pathways. Infleqtion will integrate its atomic clocks with entangled photons to validate ultra-precise timing synchronization for defense applications, including missile defense and autonomous systems. Aliro Technologies is deploying its AlirOS KeyGen stack alongside Qunnect's entanglement distribution hardware to demonstrate real-time, physics-based secure key generation. Tensora is utilizing the network's unique datasets to advance quantum-inspired geosensing approaches for geological deformation and infrastructure monitoring, while Santa Fe-based Bandelier Technologies will evaluate the convergence of quantum entanglement and custom AI models to harden defense and critical infrastructure networks. Natively powered by Qunnect's room-temperature Carina entanglement generation and dynamic fiber-phase stabilization hardware, ABQ-Net's initial anchor nodes link Qunnect's downtown Albuquerque facility with the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) - a U.S. Department of Energy site jointly operated by Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Supported by state economic development efforts, the open-access network is structured for future physical expansion to connect adjacent regional hubs, including the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the University of New Mexico, and Central New Mexico Community College. July 28, 2026

Photon Queue, a quantum technology startup spun out of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has raised $4 million in seed funding. The company plans to use the capital to scale its quantum technology operations. Following the funding round, the startup has chosen to establish its presence in Chicago as it pursues its growth strategy. The decision positions the company within a major technology hub whilst maintaining ties to its university origins in Illinois. The funding will support the commercialisation of the company's quantum technology platform as it works to expand its operations and develop its product offerings in the emerging quantum computing sector.