Washington is betting big on Bothell’s quantum future, and it is doing it with money nobody ever claimed off a scratch ticket.
On Tuesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson said he would direct $500,000 from the state’s Strategic Reserve Fund to help expand IonQ’s Bothell quantum computing facility. State and company officials say the award, earmarked for building upgrades, workforce training and other expansion costs, could support as many as 1,200 to 2,000 new jobs over the next five years. The announcement landed on World Quantum Day and follows IonQ’s opening of the Bothell factory in 2024.
State chips in $500,000 for expansion
Gov. Ferguson is directing $500,000 from the Governor’s Economic Development Strategic Reserve Fund to the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County to support IonQ’s expansion, according to the Governor's Office. The release says the award is matched by more than $14 million in private investment and will be used for building upgrades, workforce expenses and other expansion costs. Ferguson also posted the announcement on his Facebook page, as shown in Facebook.
Bothell factory, hires and pay
IonQ opened the Bothell manufacturing facility in 2024 and expanded it to roughly 100,000 square feet, according to IonQ. Coverage of Tuesday’s announcement notes the company plans to add roughly 100 engineering positions over the next 18 months with an average salary of about $177,000, and projects 1,200 to 2,000 total jobs over five years, per GeekWire.
Why Washington is betting on quantum
Regional and federal leaders have framed the Bothell site as an anchor for a broader Pacific Northwest quantum cluster. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who attended the facility's opening, praised the Bothell hub for its potential to create thousands of jobs and to leverage the region’s universities and tech ecosystem, according to Sen. Maria Cantwell. Supporters say the combination of local talent, university programs and existing cloud provider infrastructure makes the Puget Sound area attractive for quantum manufacturing.
What comes next
The Strategic Reserve Fund is financed by unclaimed lottery prize money and is intended to spur large, high impact projects; the governor’s release says SRF awards are tied to private investment and performance benchmarks, including job creation. The Governor's Office said the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County will administer the award and track use of the funds, while IonQ and local partners move forward with hiring and building upgrades. Community groups and workforce providers will be watching how quickly the job commitments translate into posted roles and local hires.
We will follow updates from the governor’s office, IonQ and EASC as the project moves from pledge to paychecks. For now, Bothell joins a short list of U.S. cities hosting commercial quantum manufacturing activity.
