George Mason University Brings Quantum Computing to Campus

George Mason University (GMU) is bringing quantum computing infrastructure to its Virginia campus that students and researchers will be able to access, test and interact with directly.

Through a new partnership with quantum computing company TreQ, which will install a new $7.7 million computing system in 2027, university researchers and students will have access to on-premises hardware that is open architecture, meaning it will be a modular ecosystem of swappable components, according to a

this week.

In the past, researchers at the university had access to quantum computing power through cloud vendors, Weiwen Jiang, professor and director of a quantum computing lab at GMU, said in an interview with the Center for Digital Education. However, Jiang said that access has limitations for education and research.

“We can deploy our application, we can do the computation,” he said. “But, below the computation, it is a black box and we cannot touch it.”

On some campuses and research facilities, even when the computing system is run on-premises, this access is still restricted, Patrick Vora, associate professor and co-director of GMU’s Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC), said in an interview. For example, he said one institution has a quantum computing system encased in a box and protected by a guard.