New Mexico is part of a multi-state coalition of quantum technology leaders that, earlier this week, was tapped by the Biden administration as one of 31 regional tech hubs aimed at driving innovation across the United Stations.
That coalition is called Elevate Quantum, a consortium of over 70 organizations across the Mountain West. A significant portion of those organizations are in Colorado, which has a robust quantum industry with large quantum computing companies like Quantinuum and Atom Computing based in the Rocky Mountain State.
But the Land of Enchantment has a role in the coalition, as well, thanks to research institutions and national laboratories in the state. The University of New Mexico, for instance, has the Center for Quantum Information and Control, and Albuquerque's Sandia National Laboratories maintains a Quantum Information Program.
Those two institutions also partner on the Quantum New Mexico Institute, a joint research entity between scientists from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratories.
New Mexico State University, too, hosted a Quantum Computing, Mathematics and Physics, or QCamp, this summer, in partnership with Sandia Labs.
"The New Mexico Economic Development Department is grateful to be part of this exciting designation," Jon Clark, acting New Mexico Economic Development Department secretary, said in a statement. "New Mexico's involvement in the hub speaks to the prowess of our universities and global institutions like Sandia National [Laboratories] and Los Alamos National [Laboratory], and of the workforce and economic development investments the state has made to ensure the next great technology revolution of our time is championed and benefitted by all New Mexicans."
The U.S. Economic Development Administration's Tech Hubs program was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Being designated as one of the 31 regional tech hubs is a "strong endorsement" of the Mountain West region's plan to accelerate quantum technology and workforce development.
The 31 designees are eligible to apply for a phase two federal funding opportunity, which could bring $75 million in federal dollars to the Mountain West region. Those "implementation grants" will be awarded to five to 10 designees who apply for the phase two funding opportunity, and the money would help support approximately three to eight projects, according to the EDA's website.
Quantum information science and technology, through fields like quantum computing and quantum sensing, uses quantum physics to significantly increase the efficiency and accessibility of different technological systems and problems. Its applications are wide-ranging, and quantum computing in particular could create value between $5 billion to $10 billion over the next several years, according to Boston Consulting Group.
"Quantum in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming isn't just Ph.D. physicists in labs, it's good jobs for welders, soldering technicians, machinists and others," Zachary Yerushalmi, CEO and regional innovation officer for Elevate Quantum, said in a statement. "These jobs are already scaling and bringing people from diverse communities and backgrounds."
