{"id":38207,"date":"2026-05-29T13:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T07:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/?p=38207"},"modified":"2026-05-29T13:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T07:17:28","slug":"mit-to-establish-regional-quantum-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/mit-to-establish-regional-quantum-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"MIT to establish regional quantum hub"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With $25 million investment from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MIT will build a new shared-use facility to serve as a statewide quantum toolbox.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quantum technologies promise transformative changes in fields from computing, security, and navigation to health sciences, defense technologies, and space exploration. But how do we ensure Massachusetts stays on the leading edge of our nation\u2019s coming quantum leap? Doing so is vital to the prosperity and security of our Commonwealth and country, serving to protect and advance America\u2019s technological leadership in a world that has been upended by geopolitical rivalries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, May 28, Governor Maura Healey joined President Sally Kornbluth at MIT to announce a new effort aimed at establishing Massachusetts as a national hub for quantum innovation and catalyzing next-generation quantum technologies. MIT and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shared plans to establish the Quantum Systems Laboratory (QSL) at MIT, a new shared-use facility that will serve as a quantum toolbox for the region, aimed at accelerating quantum research, innovation, and growth in this critical field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The QSL seeks to be the first facility in the world to bring together state\u2011of\u2011the\u2011art quantum computers with quantum sensors and peripherals, joined by quantum interconnects (physical channels that transfer quantum information). The facility will provide researchers from MIT and other institutions with hands\u2011on access to significant quantum hardware and specialized experimental capabilities that are necessary to achieve the full transformative potential of quantum science and engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to a $25 million investment from the state, which will match a portion of the federal funding for quantum research already underway at MIT, the Institute is now in a position to move forward as early as this summer with construction on the QSL facility, positioning the region to dominate the next generation of quantum research, according to Institute officials. The Commonwealth\u2019s investment adds to MIT\u2019s own financial commitment, as well as generous philanthropic support from Thomas Tull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreater Boston has the greatest concentration of quantum talent anywhere in the world, working on a range of potential applications. Through the new Quantum Systems Laboratory, we will help position Massachusetts to lead the next era of quantum technologies,\u201d says Kornbluth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis facility will serve those at the edges of our wildest imaginations in physics and quantum computing, yes. But it will also equip the talent in our region — and ultimately, our nation — to push our knowledge to new limits, and innovations.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The QSL will be located at\u00a0Building 39\u00a0on the MIT campus and will serve as a multi-disciplinary quantum hub with modern experimental infrastructure. Because quantum research involves the creation and study of coherent phenomena in systems that are isolated from the rest of the universe, it must take place in a highly controlled environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work is already underway in Building 39, with significant investments by MIT, to upgrade the physical infrastructure for these unique demands. The state\u2019s support will supercharge this work and allow for the transformation of the lab into a hub for scientists across the region working on next-generation quantum technologies, startup applications, defense and health tech, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur region has unparalleled strengths in science-intensive innovations and tough tech breakthroughs that combine engineering, science, and computing,\u201d notes Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT\u2019s provost. \u201cWith the new Quantum Systems Laboratory, we aim to arm Massachusetts with the compute power and integrated platforms needed to lead the coming era of quantum technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the numbers <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The QSL will host specialized facilities that will enable Massachusetts scientists to undertake impactful work applying quantum research across practical domains. As a shared-use facility, the QSL is being developed with the underlying mission of returning broad scientific, workforce, and economic benefits to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, quantum technologies provide significant opportunities in the fields of life sciences and defense technologies, which are $50 billion contributors to the Massachusetts economy, with dozens of startups working in the area. During a time of increased economic anxiety and labor market concerns, investing in foundational quantum facilities will infuse our region with new job opportunities in academic research institutions, startups, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction on the QSL facility alone is anticipated to create over 150 full-time, on-site construction jobs, plus another 75 to 100 jobs across the Commonwealth in supply chain and professional services supporting the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Startups from MIT are also a key driver of the state\u2019s entrepreneurial ecosystem; in 2015, Sloan Professors Edward Roberts and Fiona Murray published a report detailing how the Institute\u2019s alumni entrepreneurs have created more than 30,000 active companies, employing 4.6 million people, and generating annual global revenues of $1.9 trillion, a figure greater than the gross domestic product (GDP) of the world\u2019s 10th-largest economy, as of 2014. The QSL facility will provide the necessary equipment and facilities for startups working on quantum technologies, thereby strengthening the region\u2019s innovation economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new QSL will introduce modern experimental infrastructure to quantum research at MIT and beyond, allowing us to scale experiments and expand into critical domains in disciplines such as biology and chemistry, where we see enormous innovative potential,\u201d\u00a0explains Ian Waitz, MIT\u2019s vice president for research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs the new physical home of the\u00a0MIT Quantum Initiative<\/a>\u00a0(or QMIT), the QSL will serve not only as an on-campus incubator but more broadly, a regional hub to catalyze quantum innovation, growth, and investment in this critical R&D sector for the Commonwealth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One floor of the facility will allow for the development of radio-frequency (RF) electronics for controlling and interfacing with quantum systems. The QSL will also support researchers in the creation of customized quantum experiments with advanced high-frequency packages, which are required to protect quantum data in real-world applications. The facility will also develop the associated THz electronics needed by advanced quantum systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A history of future-focused plays<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly a decade ago, MIT made a similarly big bet on nanotechnology, developing\u00a0MIT.nano<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a state-of-the-art, shared-use facility with more than 200 tools and instruments that support nanoscale discovery and innovation through imaging, fabrication, characterization, and prototyping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set in the heart of campus in the Lisa T. Su Building, MIT.nano is home to a thriving research community, an industry consortium, and a startup accelerator. More than a fifth of the 1,500 users of MIT.nano come from outside of MIT, and half of the companies in its START.nano accelerator have had non-MIT founders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The QSL will also complement the capabilities of MIT Lincoln Laboratory\u2019s SQUILL Foundry<\/a>, a quantum fabrication hub for superconducting qubit systems that serves researchers across Massachusetts and the nation free of charge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With $25 million investment from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MIT will build a new shared-use facility to serve as a statewide quantum toolbox. Quantum technologies promise transformative changes in fields from computing, security, and navigation to health sciences, defense technologies, and space exploration. But how do we ensure Massachusetts stays on the leading edge of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-physics"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub.webp",768,576,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-200x200.webp",200,200,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-675x506.webp",675,506,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub.webp",750,563,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub.webp",750,563,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub.webp",768,576,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub.webp",768,576,false],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub.webp",768,576,false],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-768x570.webp",768,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-600x576.webp",600,576,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-600x576.webp",600,576,true],"newspaper-x-single-post":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-760x490.webp",760,490,true],"newspaper-x-recent-post-big":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-550x360.webp",550,360,true],"newspaper-x-recent-post-list-image":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-95x65.webp",95,65,true],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-640x576.webp",640,576,true],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-96x96.webp",96,96,true],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/quantum-hub-150x113.webp",150,113,true]},"author_info":{"info":["RevoScience"]},"category_info":"Physics<\/a>","tag_info":"Physics","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38209,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38207\/revisions\/38209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}