IonQ and EPB Partner to Launch the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center First-ever Quantum Memory Unit Installed in a Live Fiber Optic Network Chattanooga, Tenn. and College Park, Md. – Aug. 3, 2026– IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ), the world’s leading quantum platform company, and EPB, Chattanooga’s energy and communications solutions company, today announced plans for the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center. This will be the first dedicated next generation quantum communication research and development (R&D) innovation lab directly connected to a real-world network. “Interconnecting quantum computers at multiple locations and linking them directly to end users lays the foundation for the full suite of applications of quantum communications,” said IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi. “Quantum Memories that store and process quantum information over fiber channels are essential building blocks for transforming quantum machines into more powerful long-range architectures. Establishing a Quantum Memory R&D capability that sits atop a working fiber optic network will speed the development and deployment of innovative quantum technologies to accelerate commercialization of the Quantum Internet, driving economic growth and job creation within participating communities.” Based in Chattanooga and staffed by IonQ scientists, the R&D lab will house the world’s first commercial Quantum Memory embedded within an operational communications network. Quantum Memory could help quantum computers and networks reliably share information across long distances, an important step toward connecting quantum systems in ways that support real-world commercial applications. The initiative will be funded through a five-year $15 million commitment from IonQ, bringing some of the world’s foremost experts in Quantum Memories to Chattanooga to catalyze the local talent ecosystem. EPB will provide the live network development test bed and serve as the primary commercialization partner, translating the laboratory’s groundbreaking R&D into use-cases for both the public and private sector in the greater Tennessee Valley corridor.