Roadrunner Venture Studios, an investment and incubation firm, is set to open a new quantum computing laboratory in Albuquerque on Tuesday, marking a significant step in New Mexico's efforts to strengthen America's position in the global quantum race. The facility, known as the Roadrunner Quantum Lab, is part of the state's $450 million investment in quantum technology development.
The lab will provide startups with access to capital, infrastructure, and national laboratory research, according to details shared exclusively with The Hill. The 35,000-square-foot space will initially host eight quantum companies alongside Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratories, and the Quantum New Mexico Institute.
Adam Hammer, co-founder and CEO of Roadrunner Venture Studios, explained the unique advantage of the facility. "In a national lab setting, you don't have that mix," he said. "You have a lot of researchers. You might have some recruitment, but you don't have capital. In the private sector setting, you have, maybe the capital, but you certainly don't have the infrastructure that's required, and oftentimes you don't have access to the talent."
Quantum computing, unlike classical computing that uses bits (0 or 1), relies on qubits that can exist in multiple states simultaneously. This allows quantum systems to solve complex problems far faster than traditional computers. While the technology is still largely experimental, the next phase is practical application and commercialization. Quantum computing holds promise for defense applications, but also poses risks, as it could potentially break encryption used to secure digital communications.
Hammer emphasized the geopolitical stakes. "When we think about this from a policy angle, quantum is going to be one of the big battlegrounds between the U.S. and China and we're seeing this take shape today," he said. "A lot of conversation taking shape globally is how the United States and China are positioning around this new era of compute." On AI, he noted, "there are elements that China has done really well. Think about even power generation from an infrastructure layer, the United States lags, China's ahead, but when we think about chip development, we're ahead." He added, "We are ahead in quantum technologies, but not that far ahead. And what we have to do to win in this space is not to do a bunch of great [research and development], it's to build great products."
The Trump administration has made quantum a priority, signing executive orders in June to move government systems to post-quantum cryptography by 2030-2031 and urging the Pentagon to adopt quantum sensors by 2028. The new lab aligns with these federal goals, as the administration's broader tech agenda continues to emphasize emerging technologies.
Rob Black, New Mexico's Secretary of Economic Development, highlighted the state's long history in R&D, from the Manhattan Project to Microsoft's early days, but noted that commercialization often migrated elsewhere. "Certainly, we have Intel here, we have other things, and we have lab spaces," he said. "But when you think about the commercialization of a lot of the technologies that came out of Sandia and Lanel Air Force Research Lab, the work that's been done here, those economic benefits have translated into Seattle, into other other places." He added, "So we're taking a major bet into the sector because we believe again we have a right to win this for the U.S. and for our country."
New Mexico boasts the nation's second-largest state sovereign wealth fund, around $75 billion, with about $2 billion allocated to top venture capital firms investing in the state. The University of New Mexico's Quantum Institute has graduated approximately 60 PhDs in quantum information sciences. "From a talent perspective, it's the highest pHD per capita of any state in America," Hammer said, explaining the choice of New Mexico.
The eight firms initially granted access to the lab are Diraq, IonQ, Quantum Machines, Conductor Quantum, Mesa Quantum, QBoltz, Photon Queue, and Quera. This initiative is expected to bolster the state's economy and national security, as the energy grid modernization and military recruiting efforts also reflect the administration's focus on infrastructure and defense.
