Sandia National Laboratories presented an overview of New Mexico’s quantum industry and education efforts to the Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee, describing research capabilities, public‑private partnerships and K‑to‑career training programs designed to turn laboratory advances into local jobs.

Sandia officials said the state’s decades of quantum research and a cluster of national‑lab, university and industry projects create an opportunity to attract companies and federal funding. “Quantum information science is an emerging technology that is critical for economic and national security,” said Megan Ivory, principal member of the staff at Sandia National Laboratories.

The laboratory’s explanation tied near‑term commercialization to three main application areas — quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communication — and highlighted how those technologies could affect New Mexico industries from oil and gas to aerospace. Jake Douglas, Quantum Business Development Lead at Sandia National Laboratories, said Sandia has “significant capabilities in quantum system engineering and integration” and noted Sandia’s Mesa fabrication facilities and past spinouts such as IonQ and Quantinuum.

Committee members pressed Sandia on applications and timelines. Senator Jay Block asked about logistics and digital‑twin use cases; Ivory responded that some optimization and logistics problems could see quantum gains in “5, 7, 10 years” depending on problem complexity and that quantum also plays a role in securing digital systems. Representative Charlotte Little and others raised community concerns such as water use and reaching tribal and area schools; Ivory and Douglas said quantum systems are expected to need far less water than large AI data centers and emphasized outreach to K‑12 and community colleges.

Nut graf: Sandia presented both hardware and workforce pathways — arguing New Mexico has research depth while outlining concrete education initiatives meant to supply the industry with technicians and specialists. The lab described short classroom activities for teachers, multi‑day camps, and a pilot technician boot camp intended to produce job‑ready candidates without advanced degrees.

Key workforce programs and results
- Quantime (K‑12): a short set of hands‑on classroom activities tied to curriculum standards. Sandia said professional development sessions and low‑cost kits were sent to roughly 30 teachers and a public kickoff event reached about 530 community members; teachers reported reaching an estimated 700 students in implementation.
- Q Camp (high school and teacher tracks): funded in part by the Department of Energy and private sponsors; Sandia reported 75 New Mexico educators and 85 students took part and estimated a broader reach when teachers implement materials.
- Quantum Learning Lab (technician boot camp): a new 10‑week program led by Central New Mexico Community College’s CNM Ingenuity, funded with Economic Development Administration (EDA) Tech Hub, Elevate Quantum and state matching funds. Sandia said the program targets non‑degree and associate‑degree candidates and veterans for hands‑on technician roles and will emphasize quantum‑adjacent skills to increase local hiring prospects.

Sandia also outlined broader ecosystem efforts: a quantum foundry to expand fabrication access, a quantum demonstration facility to host co‑located industry partnerships, and a Quantum Lab Embedded Entrepreneur program (QLEAP) to spin founders out of labs. Sandia flagged the Elevate Quantum chip‑packaging facility, funded through an EDA tech hub, as a key public‑bridal led packaging capability in Albuquerque.

Committee members asked about scale and funding. Senator Ben Padilla noted state appropriations earlier in the session and asked whether current investments were sufficient. Sandia respondents and subsequent testimony from the Economic Development Department said the state’s initial funding has spurred industry interest but that other states are making much larger commitments (examples cited in the presentation included multi‑hundred‑million dollar investments in other states).

The presentation closed with references to ongoing federal opportunities. Sandia noted New Mexico as a semifinalist for a National Science Foundation regional innovation engine (a “Quantum Moon Shot” semifinalist competing for a potential $160 million award) and emphasized public‑private partnerships as essential to converting R&D into local companies and jobs.

Ending: Sandia asked legislators and state partners to continue supporting ecosystem development — from teacher materials to facilities — so New Mexico can retain researchers, grow spinouts and fill positions the presenters said will be required as quantum moves toward commercialization.