Coordinated ecosystem
Government, higher education, and industry aligned around a shared statewide strategy.
Statewide strategy • Established August 2026
Utah’s quantum future.
Built here.
The Utah Quantum Initiative connects research, industry, talent, and capital to turn quantum breakthroughs into companies, products, and real-world impact.
01 The opportunity
Utah is built to connect the quantum stack.
The national race is crowded at the top. Utah’s opportunity is where breakthrough science becomes usable technology.
Our strength is the connective layer: quantum sensing and communications, cryogenic electronics, packaging and interconnects, high-performance computing, and the talent to integrate it all.
Read the public strategy overview
The Utah pathway
Connect every step from discovery to deployment.
Utah’s advantage is not a single institution or technology. It is the ability to connect the full system.
- ResearchDiscover
- HardwareBuild
- SystemsIntegrate
- ApplicationsValidate
- MarketsScale
Research depth
Complementary university strengths in physics, engineering, computer science, materials, and high-performance computing.
Manufacturing base
Semiconductor, electronics, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing capacity ready for quantum integration.
Ready markets
Defense, life sciences, energy, and logistics provide real-world pathways for pilots and deployment.
02 Explore Utah quantum
Four connected paths to quantum impact.
Explore the research capabilities, industry opportunities, workforce priorities, and practical applications shaping Utah’s statewide quantum strategy.
Research
Quantum research in Utah
Sensing, photonics, computing, materials, semiconductors, and the institutions connecting science to use.
Explore research → IndustryIndustry & commercialization
How Utah can connect companies, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, capital, and national opportunities.
Explore industry → TalentQuantum workforce
Education, career pathways, apprenticeships, and the technical skills needed across the quantum supply chain.
Explore workforce → ApplicationsQuantum in the real world
Potential uses across aerospace, defense, life sciences, energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing.
Explore applications →03 Strategic priorities
Seven pillars.
One connected strategy.
These priorities reflect the Governor’s executive order and focus Utah’s coordination where it can create measurable economic and public value.
Research & hardware
Sensing, photonics, semiconductors, and high-performance computing.
Workforce & talent
Education, apprenticeships, career pathways, and talent retention.
Commercialization
Connect discoveries with companies, pilots, capital, and markets.
Federal positioning
Coordinate funding opportunities and strengthen domestic supply chains.
Defense engagement
Advance sensing and communications partnerships for national needs.
Public understanding
Explain quantum clearly and report credible progress.
Policy & funding
Translate the strategy into responsible, measurable action.
Executive Order 2026-06
A statewide mandate to move.
Governor Cox’s executive order makes quantum a priority in Utah’s economic strategy and creates a Quantum Coordination Council to align state government, higher education, and industry.
August 10, 2026Executive order signed
March 30, 2027Statewide landscape report due
December 31, 2028Order remains in effect
04 Leadership & coordination
A statewide institute built to deliver.
Nucleus leads day-to-day execution in partnership with GOED.
GOED leads the Utah Quantum Initiative and chairs the Quantum Coordination Council under Executive Order 2026-06. The Utah Quantum Institute, housed at Nucleus Institute, provides the operating team and coordinates delivery across research, workforce, industry, marketing, and partnerships. The Council remains the statewide table for shared priorities and decisions.
Nucleus Institute
House the Utah Quantum Institute, hire and manage its director, staff the Council and working groups, coordinate the approved work plan, track commitments, and report progress and spending to GOED and the Council each quarter.
GOED
Lead the statewide initiative, chair the Quantum Coordination Council, align the work with Utah’s economic strategy, and provide state oversight in partnership with Nucleus.
Talent Ready Utah
Coordinate workforce planning with employers and education partners. Validate quantum-related roles and skills, then shape internships, applied projects, and credential options around demonstrated demand.
Quantum Coordination Council
Bring higher education, state government, and industry together to map research capabilities and gaps, set shared priorities, connect partners, and advance measurable opportunities.
How the Institute moves the work
Coordinate research. Build talent. Bring partners to the table.
- Research: Nucleus maps strengths and gaps across Utah institutions, agencies, and companies, then brings collaboration and shared-capability options to the Council.
- Marketing: Nucleus and GOED tell a clear, evidence-based Utah quantum story through a campaign, partner materials, capability features, briefings, and an annual showcase.
- Partnerships: The Institute maintains a tracked pipeline for industry and federal opportunities, names a lead for each proposal or partnership, and records commitments and outcomes.
State strategyCommissioner, Governor’s Office of Economic Development
CEO, Nucleus Institute
Jefferson Moss
Jefferson leads Utah’s statewide economic development and innovation strategy, connecting government, higher education, industry, and capital. An entrepreneur, investor, and former Utah House majority leader, he has built and led initiatives advancing deep-technology commercialization, emerging industries, and cross-sector partnerships throughout the state.
Science & researchProfessor
Brigham Young University
Ryan Camacho
Ryan is an electrical and computer engineering professor whose research spans quantum photonics, nanophotonics, and optical systems. He has contributed to national work on quantum networking and helps connect Utah’s research strengths with the technologies, infrastructure, and talent needed to compete in the quantum economy.
Operations & commercializationCOO, Nucleus Institute
Managing Director, Nucleus Fund
Angela Smith
Angela leads operations and commercialization programs that help move promising research into companies and markets. Drawing on experience across venture capital, education, and ecosystem building, she connects innovators with funding, expertise, and partnerships while helping shape Convergence Hall as a home for Utah innovation.
Administration & coordinationExecutive Assistant
Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Aspen Orton
Aspen supports the initiative’s administrative coordination and serves as the primary contact for inquiries, participation, and partnership connections.
ContactInitiative partners
Co-led by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Nucleus Institute.
05 Utah quantum news
Quantum work is taking shape across Utah.
Follow the research, new capabilities, and partnerships moving Utah’s quantum ecosystem forward.
Robots and AI are making quantum science more accessible and efficient
Nick Borys and the MonArk NSF Quantum Foundry are using robotics and AI to speed up the preparation of materials used in quantum research.
Read the University of Utah story (opens in a new tab)Utah launches a statewide Quantum Initiative
Executive Order 2026-06 established the initiative and a Quantum Coordination Council to align research, workforce, commercialization, and industry efforts.
Read the official announcement (opens in a new tab)Utah selected for a $20 million AI-driven cloud laboratory
AURORA will connect the MonArk Quantum Foundry with remote robotics and computing so researchers can design, fabricate, and measure quantum materials.
Read about AURORA (opens in a new tab)A quantum mechanics approach to AI could improve cancer outcomes
University of Utah researchers applied quantum-mechanics-based mathematics to analyze complex cancer data from small patient groups. The work is a computational method, not a quantum-computer clinical trial.
Read the Huntsman Cancer Institute story (opens in a new tab)Coverage links lead to third-party websites. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of every statement or viewpoint.
06 Contact the initiative
Help build Utah’s quantum future.
Utah welcomes partners ready to advance research, build enabling technologies, develop talent, and move quantum applications toward practical use.
Primary contact
Aspen Orton
Administrative coordination
Emailaspenorton@utah.gov