Copyright MassLive
SPRINGFIELD — State economic development officials Thursday awarded $1 million to advance a feasibility and design study for a proposed Quantum Supply Chain Accelerator headed up by Springfield Technical Community College and located across Federal Street in the Technology Park. The accelerator will be the first-of-its kind regional facility driving commercialization, supporting startups and strengthening advanced manufacturing supply chains for quantum computing, according to a news release from the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts. The idea is to build off the region’s strong history in precision manufacturing and foundations being laid at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) in Holyoke with the state’s first Quantum Computing Complex launched with QuEra Computing. The state also announced Thursday that Western Massachusetts has been designated as both a Quantum Technology TechHub and Food Science TechHub. The Food Science TechHub designation, to be led by the EDC and scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, comes with a $100,000 state grant. The food science program will take advantage of the region’s agriculture and local industry, including Big Y, according to the release from the EDC. “Western Massachusetts is the only region in the Commonwealth to receive two TechHub designations, which is a testament to the strength of our innovation ecosystem and the collaboration that defines it,” said Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the EDC, in the news release. “These designations, and the $1 million dollar investment in the Quantum Supply Chain Accelerator, represent years of hard work and vision from our regional partners. The EDC was proud to lead both applications and bring these opportunities home for our communities.”
