What if one of the most important emerging technologies for business is already available in Chattanooga?

As home to EPB Quantum CenterSM, Chattanooga is the only city in the nation with both commercially available quantum computing and quantum networking infrastructure in one location, giving local organizations a home-field advantage in understanding and exploring this emerging technology.

Why quantum matters to business

As investment accelerates, business leaders are increasingly asking when quantum technologies will begin affecting their industries. The answer is that companies can benefit today, and by engaging early, they can begin developing expertise, so they can lead their industries as this paradigm-shifting technology gains the capacity to solve larger and larger problems.

Leaders do not need to understand quantum physics for their companies to benefit from these innovations. What deserves focus is its potential to address difficult, time-consuming and costly business challenges that today’s computers alone cannot solve.

Organizations are already exploring how quantum technologies are drawing interest across a wide range of industries and prompting leaders to rethink innovation, efficiency and long-term competitiveness.

According to the McKinsey Quantum Technology Monitor 2026, quantum computing could create trillions of dollars in economic value through industry applications, which is one reason organizations across multiple sectors are paying close attention to its development.

* Financial institutions are exploring quantum applications for portfolio optimization and fraud detection.

* Health care organizations and researchers are investigating opportunities in drug discovery and biological modeling.

* Insurance companies are evaluating how quantum technologies could enhance forecasting and risk assessment capabilities.

* Auto manufacturers are incorporating process optimization and predictive maintenance.

* Logistics and transportation are transforming daily operations with route optimization and supply chain management.

* Chemicals and new materials research are examining how quantum technologies may accelerate materials discovery, modeling, and simulation.

While use cases vary by industry, the common goal is the same: finding better ways to solve increasingly complex problems that challenge traditional approaches.

Quantum and AI

Quantum computing is not artificial intelligence, though the two technologies are often discussed together.

Rather than competing technologies, experts see AI and quantum as eventually working closely together. AI excels at recognizing patterns, analyzing data, generating content, and automating tasks. Quantum computing is designed to address a different set of challenges, particularly complex optimization, simulation and modeling problems that can be difficult for conventional computers to solve.

Researchers and businesses are already exploring how the two can work together through hybrid approaches that combine classical computing, AI, and quantum technologies. In particular, because of its unique properties to work much faster, quantum computing may even be able to reduce AI’s drain on energy resources.

Advantage for Chattanooga businesses

Chattanooga’s emerging quantum hub reflects years of investment in infrastructure, beginning in 2009 with EPB’s community-wide fiber optic network. The same forward-looking infrastructure strategy that helped establish Chattanooga as a leader in broadband and automated grid technology is now creating first-mover opportunities for Chattanooga businesses.

Through industry, research and government partnerships, Chattanooga is building a quantum ecosystem that gives Chattanooga businesses rare local access to experts and a better understanding of how these technologies may affect their industries.

At the same time, collaborations with Hamilton County Schools, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Vanderbilt University and others are preparing a quantum-ready workforce to fill the jobs needed.

These and other activities help position Chattanooga’s emerging quantum ecosystem could generate up to $1.1 billion in economic benefit by 2036.

What Chattanooga businesses can do today

On October 1, EPB QuantumSM will host the inaugural Quantum in Business conference, exclusively in Chattanooga, bringing business leaders together with experts who are helping move quantum technologies from research into real-world applications. The event will feature industry experts, government leaders and businesses using quantum computing to discuss the real-world applications of quantum computing for finance, healthcare, insurance, chemicals, logistics, and automotive manufacturing. Register today at epbquantum.com/qib.