More than 450 business leaders, technology innovators, researchers and public officials convened in Chattanooga for the Quantum in Business conference, signaling substantial industry investment in the emerging field. The event demonstrated Tennessee’s growing role in quantum innovation, with a focus on practical applications already delivering value for companies.

“Businesses across the country are considering how quantum technologies can help them solve complex challenges, strengthen security and stay competitive,” said EPB CEO Janet Rehberg. As home to America’s first commercial quantum computing and networking hub, Chattanooga is establishing a unique concentration of resources, with EPB Quantum and IonQ launching the CQ Connect webinar series to guide businesses through implementation.

EPB Quantum Conference Showcases Tennessee’s Quantum Innovation Hub

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is expanding its quantum ecosystem through a bolstered partnership with EPB Quantum, providing enhanced access to the EPB Quantum Center for researchers and industry collaborators. This collaboration aims to position the region as a focal point for quantum workforce development and applied research, with plans to add between 135 and 240 faculty, staff and students dedicated to quantum studies.

Attendees at the conference also learned of Vanderbilt University’s forthcoming Institute for Quantum Innovation, a Chattanooga-based campus expected to house approximately 250 researchers, faculty and staff. This expansion, alongside initiatives at Tennessee Tech University and Middle Tennessee State University, highlights a statewide effort to support collaboration between higher education, industry and government.

State government leaders are further supporting these innovations through the Tennessee Quantum Initiative and the newly announced Qubits grant program, signaling a comprehensive approach to quantum advancement. A conference speaker noted that in Chattanooga, businesses have access to commercial quantum infrastructure and can work with research partners to develop solutions, with support from state and local leaders and academic and community partnerships that are building a quantum-ready workforce.

The emphasis throughout the event was that companies need not possess in-house quantum expertise to begin exploring potential applications. “Businesses don’t have to wait on the sidelines. They can start exploring how these technologies can address their challenges now,” the speaker added, reflecting a push for immediate engagement with quantum technologies.

Businesses across the country are considering how quantum technologies can help them solve complex challenges, strengthen security and stay competitive.

Janet Rehberg, CEO at EPB

CQ Connect Webinar Series Targets Industry Quantum Application

EPB Quantum and IonQ initiated CQ Connect, an exclusive webinar series designed to move businesses beyond theoretical exploration and into practical quantum application, offering targeted tracks for six key industries: Biotech & Healthcare, Insurance, Financial Services, Automotive & Manufacturing, Chemicals & Materials and Logistics. This series distinguishes itself from broader quantum discussions by providing a step-by-step process for implementation, using the commercial quantum infrastructure established in Chattanooga and collaborative partnerships and research institutions. Anchoring the launch was a keynote address by IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi, showing existing examples of organizations using quantum technologies to address real-world business challenges.

The creation of these industry-specific tracks reflects a strategic effort to demonstrate quantum computing’s relevance across diverse sectors, moving beyond abstract potential to concrete problem-solving, and EPB CEO Janet Rehberg emphasized this point, stating, “Quantum is creating new opportunities for businesses, universities, researchers and communities.” EPB Quantum’s partnership with IonQ has resulted in a Quantum Computing Center, providing enterprises access to IonQ’s trapped-ion quantum computers via the EPB fiber network, a key component in facilitating these practical explorations.

Projections point to $5 billion in community economic benefit by 2035, positioning Chattanooga as a national quantum hub. A $4 million NIST grant was awarded to quantum researchers at the EPB Quantum Center.

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Across all models, the quantum-enhanced method yielded runtime improvements of at least 5.9%, peaking at a 14.6% reduction in total time for dynamic simulations.

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Quantum Algorithms Accelerate Industrial Design Up To 14.6%

Research presented at the Quantum in Business conference reveals that integrating quantum algorithms into engineering software accelerated complex industrial design processes by up to 14.6%. Synopsys and IonQ collaborated on testing a hybrid workflow across detailed digital models of both an automobile and a jet engine assembly, demonstrating significant performance gains, the company says. Across all simulations, the quantum-enhanced method improved runtime by at least 5.9%, with the peak reduction in total time for dynamic simulations reaching 14 percent.

This improvement suggests a pathway to faster innovation cycles in industries reliant on complex modeling. Numana also demonstrated successful testing with Nokia Canada, Crypto4A and evolutionQ, using Canada’s Kirq quantum-safe test bed to validate the practical application of these advancements. Janet Rehberg, speaking at the conference, emphasized that organizations are actively identifying use cases for quantum technologies to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. The company’s network comprises 216 dedicated dark fibers and 10 quantum nodes, controlled by AliroNet software, establishing Chattanooga as the first US city with a commercially available quantum network.