US firms IonQ and EPB have teamed up to set up the first next-generation quantum communications research and development (R&D) lab directly connected to a real-world network. Privately owned companies and government-owned research laboratories are working towards making quantum computing a reality, but this is unlikely to happen unless we develop a quantum internet. Building a quantum internet “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,” explained Niccolo de Masi, CEO of IonQ, the quantum computing partner at the R&D Center. To build the quantum internet, IonQ has teamed up with EPB, a well-recognized communications provider, which has launched EPB Quantum, a comprehensive and commercially available quantum technology platform. EPB’s longer-term plans include interlinking quantum computers, quantum research nodes and all related commercial facilities in order to host an extensive quantum ecosystem in Tennessee.