Insider Brief
- A Quantum Insider report commissioned by FloridaCommerce identifies defense and practical deployment as central to Florida’s quantum technology opportunities.
- The assessment identifies post-quantum cryptography, quantum sensing, resilient navigation and secure communications as near-term priorities, drawing on 130 programs across 25 countries.
- The report proposes a five-year roadmap covering statewide strategy, funded pilots and testbed access, with full findings to be presented at Quantum Beach on Oct. 22, 2026.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — 30th September, 2026 — The Quantum Insider today announced the release of Florida Quantum Ecosystem: A Strategic Assessment of Florida’s Quantum Technology Position and Opportunities, a comprehensive study of the state’s quantum assets, competitive position and path to leadership. The report was prepared by The Quantum Insider in partnership with the Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches (BDB), with support from FloridaCommerce, which commissioned the study.
The full report will be presented at Quantum Beach 2026, Florida’s statewide quantum conference, on October 22, 2026 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. A preview of the findings is available now at thequantuminsider.com and bdb.org.
Florida’s defense advantage
The assessment finds that Florida’s quantum opportunity is deployment-led, and that national defense is at its center. The state hosts 21 major military installations and three combatant commands — U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, and U.S. Southern Command in Doral — alongside a research base that includes the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the University of Florida’s HiPerGator supercomputer, CREOL at the University of Central Florida and the Florida LambdaRail research network.
Drawing on a global review of 130 defense-relevant and quantum-secure programs across 25 countries, the report shows quantum defense activity moving from research into procurement, with post-quantum cryptography, quantum sensing, resilient navigation and secure communications as the nearest-term priorities. Each carries dual-use applications for Florida’s ports, healthcare system, financial sector and critical infrastructure.
A year of momentum
The report arrives after 12 months of rapid change. D-Wave relocated its headquarters to Boca Raton and Florida Atlantic University committed to a $20 million D-Wave Advantage2 system. IonQ announced a flagship Superion 256 deployment at Florida International University, a quantum-secure corridor with Florida LambdaRail and the acquisition of SkyWater Technology in NeoCity. Palm Beach State College’s Quantum Innovation Center, the Florida Alliance for Quantum Technology and FloridaQuantum have emerged as ecosystem anchors, and Quantum Beach has become the annual checkpoint for the state’s quantum community.
Key findings
- Florida’s $1.9 trillion economy — fourth-largest in the U.S. — offers large, complex operating environments where quantum technologies can be tested against real problems in defense, space, logistics, healthcare and finance.
- The state’s competitive window is narrowing but open: Florida is well placed to compete if it connects its assets with focus and discipline.
- Twenty-three stakeholder interviews across research, government, defense, industry and investment show broad alignment on building around existing strengths and sustaining statewide coordination.
- The report sets out a five-year indicative roadmap: establish an operating baseline, including a published Florida quantum strategy; build translation capacity through funded pilots and testbed access; then scale what works.
Quotes
“Palm Beach County has spent the past two years assembling the pieces of a real quantum ecosystem — a corporate anchor in D-Wave, a dedicated quantum computer at FAU, a workforce pipeline at Palm Beach State College and an annual conference that brings the global industry to our doorstep,” said Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches. “This report gives the whole state a shared map of what we have, where the gaps are and what to do next. We’re proud to have partnered with The Quantum Insider on it and look forward to putting it in front of the industry at Quantum Beach.”
“Florida has the assets, the talent and the operating environments to turn quantum into a driver of economic growth, national security and high-value jobs,” said J. Alex Kelly, former Florida Secretary of Commerce and incoming President of Pensacola State College, whose team at FloridaCommerce commissioned the study. “What the state needed was a clear, evidence-based picture of where it stands and a practical roadmap for connecting those strengths with focus and discipline. This assessment delivers exactly that, and I’m confident it will help Florida compete for the companies, investment and partnerships that will shape this next technology frontier.”
“Most states are still deciding whether quantum is a research question or an economic one. Florida has already answered it,” said Dr. Rupesh Srivastava, Director of Public Clients at The Quantum Insider, who led the research team. “Our work across 130 defense and quantum-secure programs in 25 countries shows the sector moving from the lab into procurement, and Florida’s concentration of defense, space, ports and research infrastructure puts it in a small group of states that can host the entire stack. The opportunity now is deployment — getting these technologies into the hands of the users who already need them.”
About The Quantum Insider
The Quantum Insider (TQI) is the leading market intelligence and news platform for quantum technology, serving more than 200 enterprise and government clients worldwide. TQI operates a daily newsroom, the TQI Intelligence Platform with structured data on more than 2,100 quantum companies, and an advisory practice delivering strategy, ecosystem development and market-entry work for governments, enterprises and investors. TQI is part of Resonance, a Toronto-based intelligence and advisory firm operating across quantum, AI and space. Learn more at thequantuminsider.com.
About the Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches
The Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches is the official public-private economic development organization for Palm Beach County, Florida, working to attract, retain and grow businesses across the region. Learn more at bdb.org.
About FloridaCommerce
The Florida Department of Commerce (FloridaCommerce) is the state agency responsible for community, economic and workforce development across Florida. Learn more at floridajobs.org.
