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UT’s K-Quantum initiative accelerates quantum technologies

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October 23, 2026 by Ivy Delaney
Image: All Rights Reserved · research.utk.edu

Researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville are collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and industry partners to forge a quantum innovation ecosystem focused on translating fundamental science into real-world applications. This effort is driven by K-Quantum, a university-wide initiative designed to accelerate quantum discovery, workforce development and commercialization across Tennessee.

Quantum technologies aim to build communication networks protected against cyberattacks and ultrasensitive sensors capable of detecting phenomena previously beyond the reach of science, according to Deb Crawford, vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development, who states, “Quantum technologies matter because they will shape the next era of computing, security, and measurement.” This work focuses on turning quantum science into practical capabilities that improve quality of life and prepare a skilled workforce.

K-Quantum Initiative Accelerates Tennessee’s Quantum Ecosystem

UT’s K-Quantum initiative is actively building pathways to commercialize quantum discoveries, extending beyond fundamental research into workforce development and market applications. The university-wide program focuses on translating quantum science into practical capabilities, including enhanced digital security, accelerated materials discovery, and advanced environmental monitoring technologies. This emphasis on commercialization distinguishes K-Quantum from purely academic endeavors, signaling a commitment to economic impact alongside scientific advancement. The initiative’s scope encompasses not only research but also the training of a skilled workforce prepared for the evolving quantum economy.

Aerial view of Research Park at Cherokee Farm on May 06, 2025. Photo by Brad Lyle/University of Tennessee
Aerial view of Research Park at Cherokee Farm . — Photo by Brad Lyle/University of Tennessee · Source: research.utk.edu

Faculty and students benefit from access to ORNL’s world-renowned facilities, providing capabilities available at only a limited number of institutions globally. This partnership accelerates progress in quantum materials research, where scientists investigate the atomic-scale properties important for future quantum technologies.

Adrian Del Maestro, professor and head, explains the foundational importance of this work. “If you want to harness quantum mechanics, you first have to understand the materials that exhibit those behaviors.” Decades of foundational research underpin the current surge in quantum technology development, with UT researchers playing a major role in early investigations. Alan Tennant, professor of physics and materials science and director of the Shull Wollan Center, recalls a time when interest in the field was limited.

“When I started working in this area, there were very few people asking these questions,” Tennant said. “We believed there was something remarkable about the quantum world.

Decades of fundamental research are now opening the door to technologies we could only imagine when this work began.” This long-term commitment to understanding quantum phenomena has positioned UT as a leader in the field, capable of driving innovation across multiple quantum disciplines. Advances in quantum hardware, the algorithms that power it, and the quantum materials that make the technology possible are all essential for realizing the full potential of quantum technologies.

Quantum technologies matter because they will shape the next era of computing, security, and measurement-tools that underpin everything from health care to energy to national defense.

Deb Crawford, vice chancellor for research, innovation, and economic development
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Avatar of Ivy Delaney

Ivy Delaney

Ivy Delaney has been working with neural networks and machine learning since the mid-nineties, back when a couple of hidden layers and a long afternoon of training counted as ambitious. She has watched the field go from academic curiosity to the thing quietly running underneath everything, and she brings that long view to quantum computing. For Quantum Zeitgeist she covers the ground where the two fields meet. That means quantum machine learning and the variational algorithms it leans on, and it also means the less glamorous but more interesting story of classical machine learning already doing real work inside quantum machines, decoding error-correcting codes, calibrating noisy hardware and learning the error models that simulators depend on. She writes about the hardware those algorithms have to run on too, and about the post-quantum cryptography scramble that the same hardware has set off. Her stories typically start with the paper, whether that is peer-reviewed work, conference proceedings or an arXiv preprint, with the source linked so you can hold a claim up against the research it came from. She is unimpressed by benchmarks that will not say what they beat, and by demonstrations that only work in the press release.

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