Program aims to make Colorado the Silicon Valley of quantum technology
WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senator Hickenlooper recently celebrated the Biden-Harris administration announcement that Colorado has been selected as an official U.S Tech Hub. The Tech Hubs Program, established under the bipartisan Chips and Science Act, is an economic development initiative designed to accelerate economic growth by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical technologies.
The award goes to Boulder’s Elevate Quantum, a collective that includes private companies, investors, startups, and universities like University of Colorado and Colorado School of Mines, all working to advance quantum technology. The designation will bring thousands of good-paying jobs to the state, drive regional economic development, and catapult technologies from labs to markets.
“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.”
“Colorado’s federal designation as a Tech Hub is incredibly exciting for our great state, and it will serve as a powerful driver of quantum research, discovery and application for not only Colorado, but for the region and the nation,” said University of Colorado President Todd Saliman.“CU is excited to play a role in this work, and all of us in the CU community are grateful to Sen. Hickenlooper, Sen. Bennet, Governor Polis and to all our elected officials who supported the Elevate Quantum Colorado initiative. A special thanks as well to members of Congress for enacting the CHIPS and Science Act, which makes this investment, work and innovation possible.”
“CU Boulder is thrilled by the possibilities the new Tech Hub designation holds for our researchers, students, industry partners and all of Colorado. This signifies a new era for quantum research, technology transfer and workforce development at CU Boulder and the state of Colorado. We can’t wait to build upon more than 60 years of regional quantum innovation and further explore how the field shapes everyday life, from climate tech and pharmaceuticals to defense and finance,” said Chancellor Phil DiStefano of the University of Colorado Boulder. “This tremendous opportunity would not have been possible without the dedicated partners in Elevate Quantum and the efforts of Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, Governor Jared Polis, and all of Colorado’s elected officials who have thrown their support behind our quantum ecosystem.”
Here’s what they’ve been saying:
Colorado Public Radio: Colorado will get federal planning grant for quantum computing tech hub
When asked about the prospect of a designation, Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper said it could be “huge.”
He said the state has been moving quickly in this space and getting the designation will “focus, not just the attention of government and other government agencies, but people that invest in startups, the whole ecosystem that you need to grow technology.”
Hickenlooper, who serves on the Senate Commerce committee, said this type of economic development was something he worked on as a mayor and a governor. “How do we establish (Colorado) in this place where we are known to be a leader in technology and science.” He thinks this type of designation can help the state down that path.
The CHIPS Act was signed into law in August 2022 and is intended to spur investment in high-tech research and bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States. Both Hickenlooper and Sen. Michael Bennet voted for the bill, which passed the Senate 64-33. The bill passed the House 243-187, where all Colorado House Democrats voted for the bill and all Colorado House Republicans voted against it.
The Colorado Sun: Colorado named U.S. Tech Hub for quantum computing
Word is traveling around Friday morning that Colorado was picked to be an official U.S. Tech Hub, a designation that includes a bit of federal funding and the promise of greater recognition for an ecosystem that has the potential to become a Silicon Valley of quantum technology.
The designation was one of 31 awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, enacted as part of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022…
“To be chosen is unbelievably exciting,” Sen. John Hickenlooper said. “And the key here is to recognize that Colorado already is a leader in a lot of these things. … I think these designations, a tech hub, especially when you’re talking about things like quantum … have the potential to make Colorado 20 years from now the center of quantum.”
The Denver Post: Colorado designated as official tech hub for quantum industry
Colorado has been designated as an official technology and innovation hub for the quantum industry, opening up tens of millions of dollars in funding and elevating the region’s profile as a leader in the field.
…“This is the culmination of the hard work we started on my first day as (Denver) mayor: making Colorado the best place in the country to do business, to find a good-paying job, and to live a good life,” Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said in a statement.“This will future-proof our successes and ensure we remain an economic and technological powerhouse.”
Hickenlooper, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Space and Science subcommittee, worked on developing and passing the CHIPS and Science Act. He also served on the Bipartisan Innovation and Competition Conference Committee, which negotiated a final version of the bill.
Fox 31: Colorado designated as federal technology, innovation hub
…U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet applauded the tech hub designation.
“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,” Hickenlooper said. “This will future-proof our successes and ensure we remain an economic and technological powerhouse.”
With the Tech Hub designation, Elevate Quantum, a consortium of over 70 quantum research companies, will focus on:
- Moving cutting-edge quantum research from the laboratory to the market.
- Facilitating a vibrant startup and scale-up ecosystem.
- Building a diverse and inclusive workforce.
The Tech Hub designation allows Colorado to apply for federal funding in the industry.
###