EPB Launches Quantum Computing Fellowship Supported by $4 Million NIST Grant

EPB (Chattanooga, Tennessee) has launched a Quantum Computing Fellowship program supported by a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The initiative is designed to provide technical training and operational experience to an initial cohort of eight fellows. The program’s primary objective is the development of quantum-based solutions for local utility infrastructure and the establishment of a specialized regional workforce.

The fellowship curriculum was developed in partnership with IonQ, utilizing its expertise in trapped-ion quantum computing. This collaboration involves a quantum executive education program and the identification of specific application use cases for utility and community-scale deployment. The fellows will utilize the IonQ Forte Enterprise quantum computer, a rack-mounted system featuring 36 algorithmic qubits (#AQ 36), which was installed at the downtown EPB Quantum Center in 2025.

Led by Quantum Computing Manager Paul Smith, the program emphasizes the transition from classical enterprise systems to quantum-integrated architectures. Technical training covers software development and infrastructure optimization tailored for NISQ-era (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) devices. This fellowship follows EPB's previous development of the EPB Quantum Network, a fiber-optic environment for quantum key distribution (QKD) and equipment validation launched in 2023.

The fellowship coincides with the scheduled early 2026 launch of "EPB Quantum Computing," a service intended to provide commercial-grade access to both quantum networking and quantum processing units (QPUs). The broader EPB Quantum platform now includes quantum networking, on-premises quantum computing, and hybrid classical-quantum resources. The workforce development initiative is part of a strategy to support in-production quantum systems for national security, energy resilience, and regional economic competition.

Read the official press release from EPB here.

February 2, 2026