- April 14, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
Leaders from industry, academia and government labs along with elected officials broke ground Tuesday on the new Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) headquarters, located in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District. It was just one of the ways Terps marked World Quantum Day, a celebration of science and technology based on the revolutionary field.
ARLIS, a Department of Defense-designated University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) focused on intelligence and security, is an increasingly important player in the international race to develop powerful quantum computers. In 2025, ARLIS launched the Maryland Institute for Quantum Applications (MIQA), investigating how technologies such as quantum computing, networking and sensing can lead to new strategic tools and systems designed to enhance national defense capabilities.
MIQA, which will be based in the new facility on River Road, builds on UMD’s longstanding expertise in applying quantum science and engineering to address society’s grand challenges, as well as ARLIS’s ongoing work to transition quantum technologies from research to creating solutions to national intelligence and security problems.
“Yesterday's groundbreaking for ARLIS's new facility represents an important milestone for the University of Maryland and our state,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “As we grow our footprint and expand our impact as the Capital of Quantum, we are incredibly grateful to Gov. Wes Moore for his leadership and investment, which further strengthen Maryland's position as a global leader in quantum technologies."
Pines was joined by Moore and two members of Maryland’s congressional delegation—U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer '63 and U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey—to mark the latest progress on the state’s $1 billion Capital of Quantum initiative.
“Quantum is changing the world, and Maryland is the best place in the world to change the world,” Moore said. “By investing in quantum and partnering with ARLIS, the state of Maryland is creating new opportunities for the student with the skills to succeed in this field, uplifting the family that now has access to good-paying work, and supporting the entrepreneurs who will solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
Hoyer stressed his pride as a Prince George’s Countian and UMD alumnus in helping to bring such a key facility to the Discovery District.
“I was glad to work with the Maryland congressional delegation to secure federal funding for advanced research infrastructure at UMD and am thrilled to see the expansion of these initiatives in quantum computing at my alma mater," Hoyer said. "The continued collaboration among the private sector, government and our academic institutions is vital to strengthening our national security. I applaud the leadership of the Moore-Miller administration to ensure Maryland remains at the forefront of innovation in science and technology."
ARLIS brings together experts across national security missions and specializes in applications of advanced computing, integrated human-machine interaction, decision-making, and organizational dynamics.
“This new facility reflects ARLIS’s ongoing commitment to its mission,” said John Beieler, executive director at ARLIS. “It strengthens our ability to bring together researchers, students and mission partners in a secure, collaborative environment, while reinforcing the work already contributing to the Department of War and intelligence community.”
On Tuesday morning, physicist and Associate Vice President of Quantum Research and Education Gretchen Campbell had traveled to Capitol Hill to talk with congressional staffers about how quantum science and innovation is key to national security and economic competitiveness. Then at midday, a range of UMD quantum science, technology and business experts joined a World Quantum Day celebration at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union featuring discussion panels and quantum-centric science and arts exhibits—including a musical performance and demonstrations of quantum levitation with a superconductor.
Pines reminded the audience that the world’s first telegraph line passed through modern-day College Park within yards of the current location of IonQ, a leading quantum computing company that was born from technology pioneered in part in UMD labs. IonQ scientists and UMD physics and engineering researchers are poised to succeed in building a quantum communications network that would be a modern analog to that earlier world-changing advance.
Quantum technology, Pines said, “is, in short, the 21st-century space race of our time for the benefit of all—and a race that Maryland is poised to win.”
As part of World Quantum Day celebrations, Visiting Faculty Assistant Lucy Liuxuan Zhang plays a violin piece conceived as a musical interpretation of quantum computing at Adele H. Stamp Student Union. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
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