Media Advisory: MIT to establish regional quantum hub
Source: MIT News - AI
Announcement Overview
MIT and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced plans to establish the Quantum Systems Laboratory (QSL) at MIT, a shared‑use facility open to researchers across the region. The effort was unveiled on Thursday, May 28, when Governor Maura Healey joined President Sally Kornbluth at MIT to announce a new initiative aimed at positioning Massachusetts as a national hub for quantum innovation.
Quantum technologies promise transformative changes in computing, security, navigation, health sciences, defense, and space exploration. Ensuring Massachusetts stays on the leading edge of this “quantum leap” is presented as vital to the prosperity and security of the Commonwealth and the United States.
Facility Details
The QSL will be the first facility in the world to combine state‑of‑the‑art quantum computers, quantum sensors, peripherals, and quantum interconnects (physical channels that transfer quantum information). Researchers from MIT and other institutions will gain hands‑on access to significant quantum hardware and specialized experimental capabilities needed to unlock the full potential of quantum science and engineering.
- Location: Building 39 on the MIT campus, upgraded to meet the highly controlled environment required for coherent quantum phenomena.
- Funding: A $25 million investment from the Commonwealth, matching a portion of existing federal funding, plus MIT’s own commitment and philanthropic support from Thomas Tull.
- Purpose: A multidisciplinary quantum hub with modern experimental infrastructure to support next‑generation quantum technologies, startup applications, defense, health tech, and more.
“Greater Boston has the greatest concentration of quantum talent anywhere in the world, working on a range of potential applications. Through the new Quantum Systems Laboratory, we will help position Massachusetts to lead the next era of quantum technologies,” said Kornbluth. “This facility will serve those at the edges of our wildest imaginations in physics and quantum computing… but it will also equip the talent in our region—and ultimately, our nation—to push our knowledge to new limits, and new innovations.”
“Our region has unparalleled strengths in science‑intensive innovations and tough‑tech breakthroughs that combine engineering, science, and computing,” noted Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s provost. “With the new Quantum Systems Laboratory, we aim to arm Massachusetts with the compute power and integrated platforms needed to lead the coming era of quantum technologies.”
“The new QSL will introduce modern experimental infrastructure to quantum research at MIT and beyond,” said Ian Waitz, MIT’s vice president for research. “Allowing us to scale experiments and expand into critical domains in disciplines such as biology and chemistry, where we see enormous innovative potential.”
By the Numbers
- The QSL will host specialized facilities that enable Massachusetts scientists to apply quantum research across practical domains, delivering broad scientific, workforce, and economic benefits.
- Quantum technologies offer significant opportunities in life sciences and defense, sectors that together contribute $50 billion to the Massachusetts economy, with dozens of startups already active.
- Construction of the QSL facility is expected to create over 150 full‑time, on‑site construction jobs, plus an additional 75–100 jobs across the Commonwealth in supply‑chain and professional‑service roles.
- MIT alumni entrepreneurs have founded more than 30,000 active companies, employing 4.6 million people and generating annual global revenues of $1.9 trillion (exceeding the GDP of the world’s 10th‑largest economy as of 2014). The QSL will provide essential equipment and facilities for startups working on quantum technologies, strengthening the region’s innovation economy.
All information is current as of the announcement on May 28, 2024.
Historical Context
Nearly a decade ago, MIT made a similarly large investment in nanotechnology by developing MIT.nano—a state‑of‑the‑art, shared‑use facility with more than 200 tools supporting nanoscale discovery and innovation. Located in the Lisa T. Su Building, MIT.nano hosts a thriving research community, an industry consortium, and a startup accelerator. Over a fifth of its 1,500 users come from outside MIT, and half of the companies in its START.nano accelerator have non‑MIT founders.
The QSL will also complement the capabilities of MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s SQUILL Foundry, a quantum fabrication hub for superconducting qubit systems that serves researchers across Massachusetts and the nation free of charge.