The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory has opened the Argonne Quantum Foundry, an innovative facility aimed at accelerating quantum information science.
The foundry provides unique materials and data for research, serving as the only national source of its kind in the Midwest, according to an April 20 news release. A ribbon-cutting event was held April 19.
“Our foundry will spur advances to quantum information science and technology for the benefit of the nation,” Argonne Director Paul Kearns said in the release. “With this world-class facility, Argonne is empowering quantum research to maintain U.S. scientific leadership and economic competitiveness.”
Led by Q-NEXT, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center hosted at Argonne, the foundry is set to speed up research and development in the field of quantum information science and technology, benefiting the nation in various ways, the release reported.
“There are few places in the country dedicated to creating high-quality, standardized materials for quantum technologies, and we are pleased that one of them is now here at Argonne,” Q-NEXT Director David Awschalom, who is also an Argonne senior scientist, said in the release. “Now that the foundry is open, we look forward to making this resource available to the national quantum information science community.”
Awschalom noted innovation in quantum science relies on connections between industry, academia and government agencies, the release reported.
“By sharing knowledge and making our capabilities available to the scientific community broadly, we’re promoting U.S. competitiveness in this rapidly growing area of research,” Awschalom added, according to the release.
“The quantum foundries at Argonne and SLAC are critical additions to the national quantum infrastructure,” Supratik Guha, Q-NEXT chief technology officer, senior advisor to Argonne’s Physical Sciences and Engineering directorate and a professor at the UChicago PME, said in the release. “They are allowing us to push the frontier of the technology and strengthen the scientific ecosystem, which is crucial for a quantum future.”
