Texas Quantum Summit Comes To Texas A&M Sept. 19–20
Inaugural event will bring together eight research universities with industry leaders and government policymakers to establish Texas at the forefront of quantum technologies.
The first Texas Quantum Summit, hosted by Texas A&M University on Sept. 19-20, will bring together researchers, industry leaders and policymakers to accelerate the state’s leadership in quantum research and development.
Eight Texas universities — Texas A&M, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas Tech University and the University of Houston — will collaborate with industry partners during the summit to identify strategies for advancing quantum computing, sensing, communications and related technologies.
About The Summit
The summit responds to the Texas Quantum Initiative, recently passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The initiative, which takes effect Sept. 1, will establish a planning framework and advisory committee to guide research priorities, funding opportunities and manufacturing capabilities in quantum technologies across the state.
Summit sessions will cover topics including quantum computing hardware and algorithms, artificial intelligence applications, quantum materials, devices and sensors, quantum communications and networks, and workforce training that integrates academia and industry.
Plenary speakers include National Academy of Sciences members Mikhail Lukin of Harvard University — a distinguished Texas A&M graduate — Jun Ye of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Christopher Monroe of Duke University. State and federal officials are expected to attend.
To register for the summit, visit u.tamu.edu/Texas-quantum-summit. There is no charge for qualified registrants.
Texas Leadership In Quantum Technologies
With its strong technology base and world-class universities, Texas is well positioned to lead both nationally and internationally in developing quantum computers, sensors and their networks, quantum communication and cryptography systems, and the emerging quantum Internet — advances that will shape global competitiveness for decades to come.
“Quantum communication, sensing, computing, and cryptographic systems represent a transformative leap in how we compute, communicate, sense and secure our cyber-physical infrastructure,” said Texas A&M Interim Vice President for Research Costas Georghiades. “These technologies are advancing rapidly, with early-stage products already entering the market. Texas A&M has a long legacy of foundational research in quantum systems, as do our sister institutions across Texas. Now is the time to engage with industry to accelerate development and deliver the next generation of quantum technologies that will shape the future.”
While today’s computers rely on the binary logic of classical bits, quantum systems harness the unique properties of quantum mechanics to encode and manipulate information in entirely new ways.
“Traditional computers store information as bits, which are either zeros or ones,” said Olga Kocharovskaya, Distinguished Professor of Physics and summit program chair. “In contrast, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can be both zero and one at the same time. This allows quantum computers to process vast amounts of data simultaneously. Additionally, qubits can be ‘entangled,’ meaning they are linked in a special way that boosts the computer’s ability to handle complex tasks at once. This is the source of a quantum computer’s incredible power.”
The unique properties of qubits make quantum research a powerful driver of technological innovation. Advances in understanding how to create and control qubits can lead to significant breakthroughs in a wide range of technologies. Reaching these goals demands close collaboration across the many branches of quantum science and engineering and the preparation of a skilled Texas workforce to turn discoveries into real-world solutions — priorities that the Texas Quantum Summit will advance by bringing together expertise from across the state.
The Texas Quantum Summit is sponsored by Texas A&M’s Division of Research, its College of Arts and Sciences and its College of Engineering, in partnership with IonQ Inc., Infleqtion Inc. and QuEra Quantum Computing Inc.
Texas A&M is recognized for its research in quantum optics, quantum metrology, and quantum materials and devices, with research and expertise extending across Arts and Sciences, Engineering and other academic disciplines. Moreover, the university is home to the Institute for Quantum Sciences and Engineering, led by Distinguished Professor Marlan Scully, holder of the Herschel E. Burgess Chair in Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, and a prominent quantum physicist and member of the National Academy of Sciences.
