BOSTON, MA – Friday, leaders in the quantum computing community met in Boston for the 2023 Quantum Massachusetts Conference, hosted by the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech). In partnership with The Quantum Insider, a pioneering market intelligence group, the event brought together thought leaders, computer engineers, investors, researchers, and public officials to discuss the emerging technology, its implications for future industries, and the opportunities for expanding the quantum ecosystem in Massachusetts.
“Massachusetts is becoming a hub for quantum computing thanks to our research prowess and the engineering talent at leading institutions across the state,” said Yvonne Hao, Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development. “We are committed to ensuring our state is leveraging the potential of this emerging technology to advance industries, create jobs, and support workforce development opportunities, while making Massachusetts more competitive.”
Quantum computing is a new frontier of faster, more efficient machines that can solve complex problems today’s computers cannot. Breakthroughs in this technology provide an incredible opportunity for advances in research and in several critical industries, including medicine, communications, cybersecurity, biomedical engineering, and clean energy.
“There has been a clear signal from the quantum computing industry: Massachusetts has the talent, resources, and technical infrastructure needed to lead the quantum field into the future,” said Pat Larkin, Director of the Innovation Institute at MassTech. “Our organization is fostering partnerships across academia, industry, and government to capitalize on this burgeoning industry and supporting increased investments to make progress towards increased efficiency and stabilization in terms of the technology. Everyone is excited about the potential of quantum, and we’re looking forward to making it work for the people of Massachusetts.”
The Innovation Institute has made major investments in quantum facilities at colleges and universities last year, including awarding $1 million in April 2022 to support quantum R&D facilities at UMass Boston and Western New England University in Springfield and granting $3.5 million to for a R&D facility at Northeastern University in September 2022.
This year, the Innovation Institute also produced a Quantum Computing Ecosystem Study in partnership with The Quantum Insider to analyze the quantum ecosystem in Massachusetts. The study took a holistic look at the entire ecosystem, including start-ups, companies, research organizations, and other entities dedicated to advancing quantum technologies. Key data points from the study include:
- Massachusetts is recognized as a “global hub” for quantum, with plenty of opportunities for companies, academic groups, and research centers such as MIT Lincoln Labs and Amazon Web Services Center for Quantum Networking.
- The scale of the quantum computing ecosystem is comparable to not only other states, but countries in terms of diversity and research focus.
- Forty-nine companies, including start-ups, small- to medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises are focusing primarily on quantum computing across the state.
- Massachusetts has 131 research groups across 14 universities investigating quantum technologies in a diverse range of focus areas, including computing, quantum sensing, quantum matter, and photonics, all of which may have an effect on quantum technology generally.
"We at The Quantum Insider are delighted to have partnered on the recent report showcasing Massachusetts' quantum ecosystem.” said Alex Challans, CEO of The Quantum Insider. “The depth and breadth of talent, innovation, and resources in this state are truly remarkable, rivaling those of entire countries in the quantum arena. We look forward to continued collaboration with MassTech and the Commonwealth more broadly."
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About the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
The MassTech Collaborative is a quasi-public economic development agency that strengthens the competitiveness of the tech and innovation economy by driving strategic investments, partnerships, and insights that harness the talent of Massachusetts. The Innovation Institute is the division of MassTech that advances its core mission of innovation and cluster growth across the Commonwealth. Created in 2003, the Innovation Institute intervenes in the economy in the following four ways:
- Conducts research and analysis that improves the state’s understandings of unmet needs and opportunities in the innovation economy;
- Serves as convener and key strategic broker on the landscape;
- Manages high-value projects on behalf of the Commonwealth; and
- Makes strategic investments in support of innovation-based economic development.
For more information, visit https://innovation.masstech.org/.