UbiQD lands $200K state grant to build single-photon source for quantum computing
What's the deal? UbiQD, a Los Alamos-based quantum dot manufacturer, has received a $200,000 grant through New Mexico's Quantum Technologies Award. The money, from the Economic Development New Mexico Department's Technology and Innovation OfficeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, funds development of a specialized light source for quantum computers and secure communication networks.
What's the endgame? UbiQD wants to prototype a fiber-coupled device that emits single photons, one at a time, on demand — a core component for light-based quantum systems. The grant funds optical equipment and prototyping at the company's Los Alamos headquarters.
Why now? Most quantum computers today store information in superconducting circuits chilled to near absolute zero inside large, expensive refrigerators. Photon-based systems need far less cooling and can travel efficiently over long distances, but they depend on light sources that reliably produce exactly one photon at a time at room temperature — something no current product delivers.
The work builds on a 2024–2025 partnership with Los Alamos National LaboratoryDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → that produced early measurements of UbiQD's cadmium-, lead-, and mercury-free I-III-VI semiconductor quantum dots.
"Quantum computing is what originally drew me into this field, and this project is an exciting opportunity to bring our technology full circle," said Hunter McDaniel, founder and chief executive officer of UbiQD.
By the numbers: The award is one of six, totaling $1.2 million, that New Mexico distributed in July 2026 across quantum and quantum-enabling companies. Recipients must maintain an in-state presence for two years.
The grant is modest beside UbiQD's $20 million Series B in 2025 and a subsequent $6 million Silicon Valley Bank loan, both of which backed broader manufacturing growth. It is better seen as targeted, non-dilutive R&D support than a major financing event.
What could go wrong? Its significance depends on whether the prototype meets performance targets and can be commercialized. UbiQD owns or exclusively licenses 17 granted US patents and 23 granted abroad, but a growing patent portfolio is not evidence of market adoption.
"We're not just manufacturing materials, we're building an optical product and an IP position in the quantum industry," said Nikolay Makarov, senior vice president of R&D and principal investigator on the grant.
The signal: The award reflects New Mexico's push to turn national-lab research into a homegrown quantum sector. For UbiQD, it marks a move beyond its established quantum-dot markets in agriculture and energy into photonics — a bet that a decade of materials work can find a foothold in quantum hardware.
Read more: prnewswire.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
