Quantum has been talked about as the next breakthrough for years. Now the conversation is changing. Industry leaders are starting to talk about the quantum age as already underway, not something far off in the future. That makes Phoenix’s new quantum push interesting.
Quantum systems are still difficult to build, expensive to scale and sensitive in ways traditional computing systems are not. The technology itself can be difficult to explain outside scientific circles. At its simplest, quantum computing is expected to help solve certain problems far faster than traditional computers can today.
“Phoenix is on the leading edge of biosciences and semiconductors,” says Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego in announcing the Phoenix Quantum Strategy. “And we’re not stopping there. Now it’s time to get ready for the next frontier of advanced tech: quantum computing, communications and sensing.”
The strategy is designed to connect companies, universities and government around quantum computing, communications and sensing. The goal is not only scientific. It is economic: attract investment, create high-value jobs and use the infrastructure already growing around Arizona’s semiconductor industry to compete for whatever comes next.
Some of that foundation is already visible locally. ASU is part of the strategy through research and workforce development, and the University of Arizona adds another layer of quantum research. Quantum Computing Inc. opened a quantum photonic chip foundry at ASU Research Park in Tempe last year. Lawrence Semiconductor, also in Tempe, works in epitaxial wafer manufacturing, the kind of specialized materials work that can sit deep inside future quantum hardware supply chains. Mayor Gallego also points to EigenQ, a post-quantum security company that came to Phoenix through the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center, as one example of the companies the city wants to attract.
“That is a powerful signal that Phoenix is not just participating in the future of quantum technology,” Gallego says. “We have the potential to become the place where it takes root.”
