New Mexico, Fujitsu pursue quantum center under three-year deal

New Mexico and Fujitsu have signed a three-year agreement to pursue a quantum-computing research center and related research and workforce programs, but the agreement includes no financial commitments, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Japanese technology company signed the memorandum of understanding on Oct. 8 in Santa Fe. It outlines areas for cooperation, not a completed center or a finalized construction, investment or hiring plan. The center’s location, opening date, staffing and any Fujitsu investment or job numbers have not been announced.

Research plans include universities and national laboratories

The proposed work spans quantum-computing hardware, software, algorithms and theory. The parties also plan education and workforce-development activities, including student internships, research opportunities and training.

Fujitsu and the state will explore extending the company’s existing relationship with New Mexico State University into quantum and hybrid computing. The state says Fujitsu’s work with NMSU began in 2025 and has involved its FUJITSU-MONAKA processor and high-performance computing. Hybrid computing combines classical computing, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.

The plans also identify possible research collaboration with the Quantum New Mexico Institute at the University of New Mexico, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The agreement describes these as areas to explore; it does not specify each institution’s responsibilities, funding or deliverables.

The New Mexico Economic Development Department will advise Fujitsu about state incentives for which the company might qualify, according to the Journal. That advice is not itself an award of incentives.

State quantum funding is separate from Fujitsu agreement

The agreement comes amid broader state efforts to develop quantum technology. The governor’s office says New Mexico has committed more than $450 million to quantum technology infrastructure since 2019, including a $150 million research-and-development fund. Those figures describe state commitments, not money Fujitsu pledged under the MOU.

The Journal also reported that more than $300 million was appropriated in the current budget year for the state’s quantum industry and workforce. Separately, key lawmakers have discussed a possible commitment of up to $1.5 billion over several years. That figure is a potential amount under discussion, not an established appropriation or commitment.

Another distinct effort is a $25 million state award to Roadrunner Venture Studios for a quantum lab or campus in Albuquerque. It is not identified as Fujitsu’s proposed center. The state funding figures relate to separate or broader initiatives and should not be read as funding for the Fujitsu agreement.

At the signing, Lujan Grisham and state Sen. George Muñoz voiced support for New Mexico’s quantum investment effort, according to the Journal and Source New Mexico. Fujitsu Chief Technology Officer Vivek Mahajan described the agreement as a first step toward a possible longer-term relationship, the Journal reported. For now, the MOU establishes areas for exploration; it does not guarantee a center, jobs, construction or Fujitsu funding.