To further advance the efforts in the development of quantum technology, the quantum workforce, and the nation’s economy, Purdue University, a public research institution rated among the top 10 public universities in the US, has joined forces with the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) as its seventh member.

Joining the CQE anchored by the University of Chicago, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University, Purdue University through the Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute (PQSEI) aims to amplify its impact in the quantum realm says Patrick Wolfe, Purdue University’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Diversity.

Purdue University is bringing together leading researchers to collaborate with industry, government, and academia to develop chip-scale quantum systems to power the technology of the future. The PQSEI has a staff strength of about 60 people working across chemistry, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mathematics, materials science, and physics departments that will contribute to see that the collaboration with the CQE yields the results of building quantum technologies that could revolutionise communication, computing, and other aspects of humanity.

David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago, director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, senior scientist at Argonne, and director of Q-NEXT, a Department of Energy Quantum Information Science Research Center, stated that the CQE community which has over 210 researchers enables multi-institutional collaboration and an opportunity for expanded areas of expertise leading to scientific breakthroughs and strengthening the Midwest ecosystem as it drives an inclusive and sustainable quantum economy in the US.

The entrance of Purdue University into the CQE opens up more resources to researchers who want to build a career in quantum information science and engineering as Purdue University offers both curriculum and experiential learning opportunities in the development of quantum engineers and scientists of the future.

“Collaboration is the catalyst for innovation,” said Yong Chen, the Karl Lark-Horovitz Professor of Physics and Astronomy, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and the director of the PQSEI. “Through our participation in the Chicago Quantum Exchange, we recognize the opportunity to amplify our collective impact, driving forward the frontiers of quantum science and engineering.”, Yong added

The CQE has attracted a series of investments over time including $280m in federal funding through the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018, $200m in research facilities from the state of Illinois and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed $500 million for quantum technologies in his FY 2025 budget while IBM and Google have invested a combined $150m in a partnership between the University of Chicago and University of Tokyo to separately develop plans for the advancement of quantum computing.

All of these give CQE the leverage to become the hub for quantum technology development and the point of convergence for quantum research from various research institutions within the region. So, by having Purdue Uiverstity as a member, it is gradually realizing its goal of developing quantum solutions for a better future.