OPINION: New Mexico can be a global leader in the quantum economy

Imagine a computer that solves some of the world’s most complex problems in a matter of seconds rather than the decades it would take the fastest supercomputer on earth to solve.

A computer that is so powerful it provides unprecedented breakthroughs in scientific discovery and artificial intelligence. These breakthroughs are expected to add up to $2 trillion to the global economy by 2035, and innovative companies and partnerships in New Mexico today are bringing our state closer to the finish line.

Imagine a technological leap that is greater than the leap from the encyclopedia to the internet or the leap from the smoke signal to the iPhone 16. Imagine that future is here, and it is called quantum computing.

To prove out the concept, Google has developed a quantum computer that solved a specialized problem 158 million times faster than the world’s previous fastest supercomputer. P.S. that is really, really fast.

The race is on and nation states, good actors and bad actors, are investing billions of research and development dollars to see who will reach the top of the quantum technology mountain first. The great news is that New Mexico has the knowledge, skills and ability to win that race, through strong partnerships between academia, government and technology research companies in our state today.

So, what is “quantum technology,” also known as QT? OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool repeats “QT is a field of physics and engineering that uses the principles of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics is the study of subatomic particles, which are the building blocks of matter. Quantum technology relies on principles like quantum entanglement, quantum superposition, and quantum tunneling.”

I personally have no idea what all this means, but I do understand what the three major applications of QT will be: 1) Quantum computing: facilitates critical complex problem-solving at a faster rate than today’s computers; 2) Quantum sensors: use of quantum technology to measure quantities more accurately than classic sensors, doing GPS without satellites; 3) Quantum communications: able to transfer information that is provably secure – maybe even impossible to hack according to the laws of physics.

Quantum Information Science (QIS), the foundation of quantum technology, was pioneered right here in New Mexico. Our state enjoys a global reputation for technological innovation and solving some of the world’s most complex problems.

Institutions such as the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Labs are going to be critical players in the race to the top for quantum technologies. The University of New Mexico has been a leader in quantum research and education, developing one of the first groundbreaking programs in QIS in the 1990s and has trained many of the global scientists and engineers developing quantum technology applications.

UNM, together with Sandia National Laboratories, established the Quantum New Mexico Institute — QNM-I — to spur research and development and its translation to quantum technology. New Mexico Tech is working on technologies and approaches to secure critical infrastructure for a post-quantum future, with particular focus on quantum-safe systems for securing the internal architectural integrity of AI systems. Central New Mexico Community College has already started training the workforce.

Nearly half of quantum jobs don’t require advanced degrees and the average job still pays over $125,000 per year. The New Mexico Technology Council (NMTC), a local association of companies and technology innovators, created a Quantum Computing Peer Group to harness the power of the entrepreneurs who are innovating in quantum technology.

New local companies including Hoonify Technologies, a software company bringing supercomputing to everyone, and ADACEN, an advanced data center company with resilient data and efficient infrastructure solutions requiring less power and water for cooling, offer new advanced technologies we can use to drive us across the quantum finish line faster, while protecting our critical natural resources.

Add up all of the above-mentioned assets in quantum technology and as a result, Albuquerque is one of seven nationally recognized “quantum hotbeds” in the March 2024 issue of Quantum Computing Business. New Mexico is clearly on the leading edge of the quantum technology wave.

Opportunities abound for New Mexico to grow quantum technologies. Recently, the U.S. secretary of defense requested funding “to establish A Quantum Computing Center of Excellence at an existing armed forces research laboratory with experience in quantum computing, integrated photonics and photon qubits, superconducting and hybrid systems, and trapped ions.” The funding request suggests “that partner organizations for the endeavor could include other armed forces research laboratories, the Defense Innovation Unit, federally funded research and development centers, university-affiliated research centers and private sector entities with expertise in quantum computing.”

New Mexico can check all of these boxes.

Does this convergence of new technology, national research and development priorities align with New Mexico’s robust scientific, engineering, private and public quantum technology world-class capabilities? Yes.

For New Mexico to capitalize on this emerging opportunity our state needs to commit to investing in science, physics, and engineering programs as well as research facilities.

The time to invest is now. Our state can be a global leader in the quantum economy; however, it requires vision, willpower, and a plan to be the best. Now imagine how a quantum leap is in New Mexico’s future. Let’s make it happen.

News flash — July 2024: The U.S. Economic Development Administration recommends $40.5 million for The Elevate Quantum Tech Hub, a co-venture between the states of Colorado and New Mexico.

“The Elevate Quantum Tech Hub, led by Elevate Quantum, seeks to solidify the region’s global leadership in quantum information technology (QIT) to enable progress in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate tech, and healthcare,” states the July news release. “Tapping into regional expertise and assets, including leading national laboratories, this Tech Hub will build on existing relationships between the regional research community and private sector to unlock transformative technologies needed to move quantum-based products to market.”

Good news for New Mexico.