The Florida International University (FIU) signed an agreement with the company IonQ to install Florida's first trapped ion quantum computer on its Miami campus, a 256 qubit system known as the Superion 256, expected to arrive by the end of 2027.
The contract, signed on September 23 and publicly announced the following day, makes FIU the flagship academic partner of IonQ in the state and the first university in Florida to acquire a complete quantum system based on this architecture. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Superion 256 is IonQ's sixth-generation quantum platform, launched in early September 2026. Unlike earlier systems that rely on lasers to control qubits, this model utilizes integrated electronics directly on the chip, which lowers costs and allows it to be installed in a standard server rack, consuming less power than a conventional GPU rack.
The installation will not happen immediately: FIU must first complete a specialized and secure data center on its campus to house the equipment. Once operational, the system will be available to over 56,000 students and 1,200 faculty members at the university, in addition to visiting researchers and industry partners from South Florida.
Comparable technologies exist only in a handful of universities around the world, including the University of Chicago and the University of Cambridge.
FIU has identified three priority areas for the use of the system: environmental and energy sustainability, which includes the study of new materials, more efficient batteries, and electricity grid management; national security and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on post-quantum encryption and critical infrastructure protection; and health and drug development, through the simulation of molecules and biological interactions to identify promising medications.
Alongside the research, the university plans to create degree programs, certifications, and new curricula in quantum computing, with the aim of training specialists for an expanding industry.
The president of FIU, Jeanette M. Núñez, described the agreement as an investment "in discovery, in our students, and in our country's ability to compete in a rapidly developing field," and emphasized that the system will provide the university community "direct access to one of the most advanced computing architectures in the world."
On his part, Andrés G. Gil, senior vice president of Economic Research and Development at FIU, noted that having the equipment physically on campus will allow for precise evaluation of where quantum computing can make a real difference. "Quantum computing is still under development, and that's precisely why having access now is so important," he stated.
FIU also plans to leverage its exhibition center in Washington D.C. to establish connections with federal agencies interested in quantum applications related to energy, national security, and scientific discovery, at a time when both Florida and the federal government are increasing their investments in this field.
“FIU will lead quantum research and training in the region,” stated Niccolo de Masi, president and CEO of IonQ, while emphasizing that the agreement represents “an important milestone in the expansion of direct physical access to the company’s high-performance quantum hardware.”
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