Microsoft Unveils Maryland Quantum Research Center with DARPA Partnership
Microsoft has opened its 15,000-square-foot Quantum Research Center in College Park, Maryland, as part of a partnership with the University of Maryland and Governor Wes Moore's Capital of Quantum initiative. The facility will serve as a hub for research and development in quantum computing, providing classified research zones, a hardware makerspace, and dedicated testing infrastructure.
The center is designed to accelerate full-stack quantum system integration and workforce training, with a primary operational objective being the provision of physical hardware access for independent testing and evaluation by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under its Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program.
Microsoft has already delivered its latest Majorana 2 topological quantum processing chip to the facility, which features a lead-based material stack replacing aluminum for improved topological protection. The chip will undergo site-level verification by DARPA and its evaluation partners.