Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper welcomed Colorado’s designation as a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub for quantum technology. The Tech Hubs Program is an economic development initiative to create jobs, increase the participation of underrepresented populations and regions in the country’s innovation ecosystem, and strengthen our country’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical technologies.
“America must keep our competitive edge in next-generation technologies like quantum computing,” said Bennet. “Colorado has spent decades investing in research and development and supporting a vibrant start-up ecosystem to strengthen American leadership in quantum technologies. Today’s announcement will ensure we continue to lead the country in this field. There’s no state better positioned to serve as a quantum technology hub.”
“This is the culmination of the hard work we started on my first day as Mayor: making Colorado the best place in the country to do business, to find a good-paying job, and to live a good life,” said Hickenlooper. “This will future-proof our successes and ensure we remain an economic and technological powerhouse.”
“The quantum sector is one of the key industries of tomorrow, and I’m thrilled the Biden administration is awarding Colorado a TechHub designation for quantum technology. We will take full advantage of this decision to help create jobs, and support businesses and entrepreneurs because Colorado is the best place for tech and innovation,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs Program was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which authorized $10 billion for the program over five years. As part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress appropriated $500 million to launch the program. In August, Bennet led every member of the Colorado congressional delegation in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo that detailed the state’s cutting-edge economy and longstanding support for innovation.
The proposal will focus on developing high-yield use cases for quantum computing, sensing, networking, and hardware technologies. Quantum Information Science (QIS) applications can help accelerate drug discovery, discover sources of critical minerals, provide secure encrypted communications, and enhance the capabilities of space-based navigation systems or Earth observation satellites. The proposal will focus on translating emerging QIS technologies from labs to markets, supporting startup growth in quantum information systems, and growing a skilled and diverse QIS workforce.