COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Columbia nonprofit is getting $15 million from the state budget to make Columbia a hub for quantum supercomputing.
The money will create a research, education, and workforce development program around the new technology at the Boyd Foundation Community Innovation Center in Five Points.
Cities like Chicago and Chattanooga have implemented similar programs.
“Whether it's aviation or batteries or pharmaceuticals, it's going to be impacted by quantum very soon," said Tech Entrepreneur and co-founder of the South Carolina Quantum Association, Joe Queenan.
Queenan said that quantum computing can solve multiple problems simultaneously, whereas a regular supercomputer can only solve problems one at a time.
"We're competing with China who's throwing $10 billion a year at this. This is coming. There's no doubt about that. It's what role can South Carolina play in this?," said Queenan.
The money will also help pay for employees, training, and online courses that will be accessible statewide, Queenan said. The association plans to partner with Benedict College to increase diversity in the field.
"If we're not really intentional about making sure everyone has a pathway forward to this, we're doing ourselves a disservice," said Queenan.
Queenan said he sees this program as a way to stop Columbia's "Brain Drain" of college students leaving the city to take higher-paying jobs in other states.
"The mayor mentioned recently there are 60,000 students in town. And it's a very small percentage of them stay here even smaller percentage of even think of starting their business," he said.
The effort has the backing of Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and the University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis. State Senator Dick Harpootlian, whose district includes Five Points, is also championing it.
“It will allow us to become a tech hub here in Colombia, which is good economically because we'll be again using our intellectual capital," said Harpootlian. "Hopefully it'll give folks a reason to come to five points and set up a business."
In 2022, Gov. Henry McMaster vetoed a $25 million earmark for the South Carolina Quantum Association to purchase its quantum computer.
This year's proposal is different. Queenan said the association is using some money to rent time on someone else's quantum computer, most likely in Boston. He said that saves money and allows the association to stay updated on the latest technology.
"So, as it gets updated, like your Tesla, the supercomputer, the quantum computer will get updated," said Queenan.
Queenan said the space could be up and running in 45 days.
More than $1 billion in federal funds have been distributed so far as part of the National Quantum Initiative Act, which passed in 2018.