George Mason University is partnering with Oxford, England-based quantum computing company TreQ to deploy a $7.7 million open-architecture quantum computing system in Northern Virginia, the Fairfax, Va., university announced Sept. 2.
It’s the first open-architecture quantum computing system in Virginia and the capital region, and it’s the first U.S. deployment of a computing system based on TreQ’s proprietary Open Architecture Quantum framework, according to a university press release.
George Mason plans to receive and install the system in early 2027, and commissioning is expected by late summer 2027.
The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and TreQ are providing strategic support for the project. George Mason said a university commercialization and researcher recruitment grant from VIPC is helping attract additional industry investment and philanthropic support for Virginia’s quantum ecosystem.
“The opportunity for the Commonwealth of Virginia is significant. Experts project that quantum will create a multi-trillion-dollar economy within the decade, and the states that build workforce and infrastructure now will lead in the future,” George Mason President Gregory Washington said.
TreQ will design, deploy, and operate the system and work with George Mason on research and curriculum development. The company will also connect the university and the region with companies and researchers across the global quantum technology sector.
According to TreQ, its open-architecture approach provides insight and access across layers of the computing stack and avoids lock-in with a particular technology or approach.
“Open architecture widens the path for innovation, allowing for different quantum processors, software, networking, and other technologies as they mature, rather than a single integration approach,” said TreQ CEO and founder Mandy Birch. “That gives established companies, startups, and researchers a place to build, test, and integrate, and move the field forward faster.”
The partnership with TreQ builds on George Mason’s Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC), which includes 24 faculty members across seven departments and several colleges. The university said it is also investing $2.4 million in quantum through its Grand Challenge Initiative, along with six new postdoctoral positions and three new faculty positions.
“Our partnership with TreQ gives QSEC faculty and students access to true quantum computing hardware for the first time,” said QSEC Director Patrick Vora. “We can now launch ambitious new research initiatives, build globally unique workforce training programs, and team with our industry colleagues to grow the Virginia quantum ecosystem.”
George Mason launched Virginia’s first master’s degree in quantum science and engineering in June. The interdisciplinary program, jointly offered by the College of Science and College of Engineering and Computing, focuses on quantum computing and algorithms, quantum communications and security, and quantum sensing and measurement technologies. Students complete a research project that can involve industry partners or research laboratories.
