The Quantum Insider, a media and market intelligence outlet dedicated to quantum computing, put it this way in December 2023: “Harnessing specialized hardware and software, quantum computers are expected to have the capacity to execute tasks that presently lie beyond the reach of conventional computers. Furthermore, quantum computing companies are actively crafting technologies to enhance the accessibility and usability of this state-of-the-art technology.”
Location analysis applications of quantum computing have yet to be developed, but that day will come. Still an emerging science, quantum computing operates at the atomic level to solve computations at speeds that put supercomputers to shame.
Pick a major computer company, or one of many smaller ones, and it’s more than likely working on quantum computing hardware or software. Their work will result in such quantum computing applications as financial modeling, artificial intelligence, battery technology, drug development and discovery of electronic materials, among others.
Quantum consortia of many stripes can be found around the U.S. and elsewhere. In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration named 31 Tech Hubs around the U.S. to strengthen economic and national security and cultivate emerging industries. Two, which are multistate Hubs, are Elevate Quantum in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, and the Chicago Quantum Exchange in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. These, along with growing quantum computing sectors in Montana, Virginia, California and other states, point to locations that will be glad they facilitated the corporate, academic and scientific synergies necessary to land capital investment in this field, and they will in all likelihood attract more in the future.
“We’re seeing companies working on prototypes, and they’re looking for research centers and the scientific talent they require more than locations that can deliver lots of manufacturing workers at this time,” says Tracey Hyatt Bosman, managing director at BLS & Co., a site selection and incentives advisory firm. Locations that have high-tech clusters in place are well-positioned to benefit from the growth of quantum computing, she points out. “Quantum technology is much broader than just the computing aspect, so these IT centers are showing that they have the expertise in place for the next wave of innovation.”
Who’s Investing Where?
Corporate investment in quantum computing facilities is now getting under way. In February, College Park, Maryland-based IonQ, a leading quantum computing company, opened a manufacturing facility in Bothell, Washington, and expanded its Seattle facilities from 65,000 sq. ft. to 105,000 sq. ft. The company says the manufacturing facility is the first in the U.S. to make quantum computers available for customers’ data centers. Since 2022, IonQ has marketed Forte, its largest single core quantum processor.
“The Seattle facility represents a tangible realization of IonQ’s commitment to commercializing quantum and getting quantum computers into the hands of customers,” said IonQ CEO Peter Chapman at the facility opening. “IonQ is not just building a manufacturing facility; we’re also investing in the surrounding community drawing talent and thought leaders to Seattle and empowering organizations within the community with innovative quantum capabilities.”
The company says it is working with Hyundai Motor Company, Airbus and GE Research on using quantum computing in their lines of business. And IonQ is working with QuantumBasel to install two quantum systems in Basel, Switzerland. The company also reports securing “a $25.5 million project with the United States Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to implement two next-generation quantum computing systems at their facilities in Rome, New York.”
In June 2023, IBM said it would open a quantum data center this year in Ehningen, Germany, that will serve as its European cloud region. A similar facility can be found at IBM’s Poughkeepsie, New York, site.
“Europe has some of the world›s most advanced users of quantum computers, and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility scale quantum processors,” said IBM Fellow and Vice President of IBM Quantum Jay Gambetta in announcing the data center. IBM markets two quantum processors, Condor and Heron.
National Labs’ Role
Other large players in the quantum computing space include Google Quantum AI, which is researching machine learning applications of AI; Microsoft; AWS and its Amazon Braket quantum computing service; and China’s Alibaba Group and Baidu. Berkeley, California-based Atm Computing formed a partnership in 2023 with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory to study how quantum computing can help optimize electric grids.
DOE is a big player in advancing quantum computing. Five of its national laboratories lead National Quantum Information Science Research Centers that are hubs of quantum computing activity involving the labs, private companies and universities. Locations near these centers are ideal for startups and established players looking for ready access to talent.
Here’s a quick rundown on them, provided by DOE’s Office of Science:
Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois: In addition to enabling scientific innovation, Q-NEXT will build a quantum-smart workforce, create quantum standards by building a National Quantum Devices Database, and provide pathways to the practical commercialization of quantum technology by embedding industry in all aspects of its operations and incentivizing start-ups.
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York: The integrated five-year goal of C2QA is to deliver a factor of 10 improvement in each of software optimization, underlying materials and device properties, and quantum error correction, and to ensure these improvements combine to provide a factor of 1,000 improvement in appropriate computation metrics.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois: In addition to scientific advances, SQMS will target tangible deliverables in the form of unique foundry capabilities and quantum testbeds for materials, physics, algorithms, and simulations that could broadly serve the national QIS ecosystem.
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California: Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) aims to co-design the algorithms, quantum devices, and engineering solutions needed to deliver certified quantum advantage in scientific applications. The QSA will deliver a series of prototypes to broadly explore the quantum technology trade-space, laying the basic science foundation to accelerate the maturation of commercial technologies.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: In addition to scientific goals, integral to the activities of the Quantum Systems Accelerator are development of the next generation of QIS workforce by creating a rich environment for professional development and close coordination with industry to transition new QIS applications to the private sector.
Locations like these are bound to be leaders in attracting quantum computing investment, thanks to their built-in supply of expertise. The same can be said for locations with universities offering not just quantum degrees, but universities that are leading the way in quantum research, according to April 2022 research by The Quantum Insider, which ranked the best quantum computing universities. The top three are the University of Waterloo (Ontario) and its Institute for Quantum Computing, the University of Oxford and Harvard University with its Harvard Quantum Initiative.
“Where is quantum computing going to grow, and what will it need? It’s going to grow near other science applications, and it’s going to need partners,” says BLS & Co.’s Tracey Hyatt Bosman, underlining the importance of the alliances and quantum computing consortia. “It will need proximity to those with experience servicing cutting-edge companies.”
Photo: Getty Images
CHIPS ON THE SIDE
No advanced manufacturing update in today’s hot environment for semiconductor investment can be complete without a chips update. Here are brief summaries of news in the microelectronics sector:
When the Biden-Harris Administration in June announced that the Department of Commerce and New Mexico’s Rocket Lab, the parent company of space power provider SolAero Technologies Corp., had signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $23.9 million in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, it was the 10th PMT signed to date with more expected throughout 2024. (For more on Rocket Lab, see p. 28.)
In May, Commerce announced a PMT that would provide up to $120 million to Polar Semiconductor for the company’s expansion in Bloomington, Minnesota. The proposed CHIPS funding supports an investment of more than $525 million, catalyzing contributions from the company, state and local entities, and private investors. In addition to enabling Polar to double its U.S. production capacity of sensor and power chips within two years, the proposed investment “would bring in more U.S. private capital,” said a Commerce release, “which would transform Polar from a majority foreign-owned in-house manufacturer to a majority U.S.-owned commercial foundry, expanding opportunities for U.S. chip designers to innovate and produce technologies domestically.” Support for the expansion includes $75 million from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
Like Minnesota, Oregon — a state with a long chip manufacturing resume — has its own program in place to coordinate with the federal CHIPS Act. In June, Governor Tina Kotek announced that Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), Lam Research, and Siltronic have finalized Oregon CHIPS Act contracts to support expansion and modernization of semiconductor manufacturing and research. Lam Research is receiving $22 million for the construction of a new R&D facility on its Tualatin campus. ADI is receiving $12 million for expansion of its Beaverton facility. Siltronic is receiving $2.2 million for modernization and expansion of its Portland facility. Signed into law during the 2023 legislative session, the Oregon CHIPS Act dedicates $240 million to a grant and loan program to support semiconductor businesses looking to expand in Oregon, and funds $10 million to help communities prepare land for manufacturing sites and $10 million for a University Innovation Research fund that will help public universities secure federal research grants.
A roadmap strategy for a $5 billion National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) organization and network was released in late May by NIST. The NSTC is operated by Natcast, a purpose-built, non-profit entity that works in tandem with the CHIPS NSTC Program, which sits within the Department of Commerce. Announcements will be made this summer about a planned workforce center of excellence and about the facility model and selection process for the NSTC overall. A membership structure for the NSTC is expected to be announced this summer and open for applications by fall. More than 240 organizations already have signed up.
