With major conference in town, Mass. seeks to boost quantum computing efforts

Boston is overflowing with quantum computing talent — this week, even more than usual.

A major conference on the emerging technology, called Quantum.Tech World (yes, the period is intentional), is in town, attracting scientists and startups from all over the world, plus some of the Trump administration’s top tech policymakers.

With the industry getting closer to building the first super-fast quantum computer, Massachusetts is contending for regional dominance. Local players hope Boston’s quantum scene follows the successful life sciences path and not the early generative AI trajectory that resulted in a handful of trillion-dollar companies being built elsewhere.

Unlike typical computers that run calculations on silicon chips, quantum computers rely on atomic or subatomic particles that could crack vastly more complicated problems, such as in biology, physics, and chemistry. A working quantum computer, for example, could model diseases to help create new drugs or invent new materials.

But the “qubits” of quantum computers are much less reliable than the silicon bits of today’s computers and still generate too many errors.

The Boston area is off to a strong start solving the quantum challenge, with research emerging from local universities starting to solve the error correction challenge and other hurdles.

QuEra, which spun out of Harvard, says its rubidium atom-based quantum computer, dubbed Libra, will be ready by 2028 to attack tantalizing problems without making too many mistakes. Tech giants Amazon and Nvidia have established quantum efforts here, as well, and Google bought Atlantic Quantum, an MIT spinout, last year.

Still, competition is fierce, with Silicon Valley offering its vast lineup of VC investors and Texas claiming a more pro-business environment. Illinois is already building a $500 million quantum campus in Chicago.

Even Chattanooga, Tenn., which claims to have the first commercially available quantum computing and networking hub in the country, is trying to horn in this week. Mayor Tim Kelly is leading a delegation to attend the Boston conference, seeking to woo more business to his southern city with a welcome reception at Asian restaurant Mystique this evening.

European quantum company Qblox, which opened its US headquarters in Boston last year, is supporting local legislative proposals and more state funding to back quantum efforts, chief financial officer Bauke van Rhijn said. (Qblox develops electronic components and software to support quantum computers.)

“The global race for quantum leadership is accelerating, with regions competing aggressively,” van Rhijn said. Providing state funding and other government support would show Massachusetts is “committed to leading in quantum and has the resources to support long-term industry growth,” he said.

The conference features not just local leaders such as QuEra and Qblox but also rivals such as IBM, California-based D-Wave, Quantum Computing Inc. in New Jersey, and IonQ in Maryland. Attendees will hear from Ethan Klein, Trump’s chief technology officer, just after the president signed two executive orders to bolster the quantum industry with more government projects, resources, and workforce training programs.

Massachusetts leaders already have a couple of balls in the air.

Governor Maura Healey granted $25 million of state funds last month to help build a new quantum lab at MIT. She has also proposed spending another $75 million in her recent economic development bill to bolster quantum efforts. And state Rep. Michael Day filed legislation earlier this year to create a state-backed quantum center that could raise money via bonding and offer tax breaks to help lure more businesses to the state.

Senator Barry Finegold, chair of the powerful Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said the state’s quantum ecosystem reminds him of the life sciences sector a few decades ago, when $1 billion of government backing helped ignite a boom of economic activity.

The economic development bill is a high priority, he said. “The governor put together an excellent package and quantum is an important part of it,” Finegold said. The bill is moving forward over the next few weeks. Day’s bill is still in the House, but Finegold said some of its provisions could be incorporated into the broader economic development bill.

“We have our hands full with the [economic development] bill, but let’s see what the House does,” Finegold said. “Maybe the House decides to put more stuff [from Day’s bill] in their version, and I’m sure we’d be open to that.”

If not, Chicago, Chattanooga, and others surely will.

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👋 Thanks for reading. We’ll be will be back next Wednesday.

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Aaron Pressman can be reached at aaron.pressman@globe.com. Follow him @ampressman.