Quantum computing supply chain hub envisioned for Springfield Technical Park
SPRINGFIELD — Quantum computing exists on the frontiers of physics, exploiting how matter and light behave at the subatomic level, tackling problems no one thought unsolvable and doing it faster than imagined.
"But people don't realize it's still a physical thing," said Nathan Gemelke, co-founder and chief technology strategist of QuEra Computing. "It's a piece of metal with screws. People have to build it."
And a group of Pioneer Valley boosters, including Springfield Technical Community College and the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, want people to build the quantum equipment, to repair it, learn to operate and maintain it in what's now an empty 16,000-square-foot warehouse in the Springfield Technical Park on State and Federal streets, next to STCC.
They hosted Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on Tuesday for a tour of the space, a factory where workers once made World War II M1 Garand rifles and later used by Digital Equipment Corp.
Warehouse space at the Springfield Technology Park, where boosters hope to create a supply chain provider for the quantum computing industry. (Jim Kinney / The Republican)The Republican
"Quantum computing is going from being a bench science," said Pat Larkin, director of the Innovation Institute at MassTech, one of the partners in the effort to create a Quantum Supply Chain Accelerator at the Springfield Technology Park. "It's rapidly becoming a commercial product. And what better place to develop it as a commercial product than here in this region that has so much manufacturing history?"
Larkin said the differences between quantum and classical computing were vast, like comparing a basic Google search to an artificial intelligence deep dive.
State Sen. Jacob R. Oliveira said he and his fellow lawmakers might be still learning the technical aspects of quantum computing.
"But we know it creates certain things. It creates jobs, and it creates economic development," he said.
Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll looks on while while Springfield Technical Community College President John B. Cook shows her around space that Springfield boosters want to transform into a supply chain base for the burgeoning quantum computing industry, on Tuesday. The warehouse was once Digital Equipment Corp. but originally was built to produce the M1 Garand Rifle. (Jim Kinney / The Republican)The Republican
The EDC pitched a quantum computing concept to the Biden administration in 2023, when the federal government solicited ideas for regional tech hub funding. The quantum plans here didn't make the cut as one of 31 hubs nationwide.
But work continued, and in November 2024, Biden authorized $40 million to boost quantum computing in the economic development bond bill.
The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke and its Boston-based partner, QuEra Computing, plan to build a $16 million quantum computing complex within the Holyoke center over the next two years.
Driscoll visited the center and the Berkshire Innovation Center, as well, on Tuesday.
"There's a team effort here along with the city, that we think is really important, to invest in new technology that can produce jobs and help support our innovation economy," Driscoll said.
There isn't, as of now, a dollar amount projected for what the accelerator might cost, said John B. Cook, president of Springfield Technical Community College.
The college already has programs in place to build the workforce for quantum computing. For example, there's an advanced photonics program that works with light and physics.
The group also toured the advanced manufacturing labs and machine shops in a nearby building.
Stories by Jim Kinney
Read the original article on MassLive .
