A quantum revolution is rolling through Colorado. Our state is home to some of the nation's top scientific and federal research facilities, as well as a booming technology industry. And now we are poised to strengthen our leadership as the premier hub for quantum technology in the country.
Designated as a key technology by the CHIPS and Science Act, the bipartisan legislation we worked toward enacting in 2022, quantum is already accelerating technological breakthroughs and helping to address the world's most pressing challenges. Discovering new solutions. Quantum focuses on the behavior of the smallest particles in the universe and can be used to quickly accelerate complex computer calculations, making it a practical choice in the defense, aerospace, health, cybersecurity, manufacturing, and chemical research industries. It has the potential to be applied.
Advances in the quantum industry can help address everyday concerns, from tackling the climate crisis by rapidly deploying clean energy solutions to improving doctors' ability to diagnose and treat disease.
Quantum is here and growing rapidly. No other state or region is better equipped than ours to discover, develop, and deploy this innovative technology.
The Rocky Mountain West's leadership in quantum technology dates back more than 80 years and includes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Joint Institute for Experimental Astrophysics (JILA) in Boulder, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. It goes back to its establishment. In New Mexico.
Since then, four Colorado scientists have won Nobel Prizes for their quantum research. The most recent recipient is physicist Jun Ye of NIST and the University of Colorado. His research has led to breakthroughs in the quantum field, including the construction of extremely accurate clocks that are just possible. The most accurate timekeeping method ever invented.
But the quantum revolution is not only being felt within universities. Rocky Mountain West has the largest consortium of leaders working to enable and grow the quantum industry.
Elevate Quantum, a nonprofit consortium created to accelerate quantum development in Colorado and take advantage of the opportunities of the CHIPS Act, is a coalition of industry associations, state and local governments, national research institutions, higher education institutions, workforce development organizations, and others. We bring together over 70 organizations. — all working to expand Colorado's leadership in the quantum field. The consortium leverages the region's vast innovation ecosystem and leverages expertise from leading research institutes in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
This bipartisan effort will foster cutting-edge innovation and prepare the region's workforce for the future. Elevate Quantum involves communities in all three states, from Grand County to La Plata and Laramie to Santa Fe. Rocky Mountain West's approach to advancing quantum technology includes rural and urban communities in this innovative project to ensure the technologies of the future are designed and developed right here at home . The industry is projected to bring $3 billion to Colorado over the next decade and is poised to create an estimated 30,000 new high-paying jobs, many of which do not require an advanced degree. . This massive growth will move our country forward, leaving no one behind.
When the federal government designated Elevate Quantum as a regional innovation hub for quantum in October, it opened the door for Colorado and the Mountain West to welcome public and private funding that could further the efforts already underway.
Now, Colorado's quantum technology hub is moving forward with a second round of investments that will accelerate regional growth and ensure the Rocky Mountain West leads the way in quantum technology. The second phase of funding is expected to bring up to $75 million in additional federal support and several times that amount in additional economic activity.
From national laboratories to research institutions, commercial manufacturing to workforce initiatives, one thing is clear. No region is more poised to lead our nation's quantum future than the Rocky Mountain West.
Representative Joe Neguse, who currently serves as Assistant House Minority Leader, was elected to represent Colorado's 2nd Congressional District in 2018. He is serving his third term.
Sen. John Hickenlooper was elected in 2020 and is serving his first term in the Senate after eight years as governor of Colorado.
Senator Michael Bennet has served in the Senate since his appointment in 2009 and was re-elected to a third term in 2022.
The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of our columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of our newsroom. For more information about The Sun's opinion policy, please read our ethics policy.. Learn how to submit a column. Please contact our opinion editors at opinion@coloradosun.com.
Follow Colorado Sun Opinion on Facebook.
