Boca Raton is betting big on quantum. The City Commission has signed off on up to $500,000 in local incentives to recruit a quantum computing company, now identified as D-Wave, which plans to move its U.S. headquarters and a major R&D operation to the city and park a D-Wave Advantage2 system at Florida Atlantic University. City officials say the deal hinges on the company creating about 100 high-paying jobs over the next five years, part of a broader push to build a quantum technology cluster in Palm Beach County.
What The City Approved
According to City of Boca Raton agenda materials, the measure was filed under the code name Project Vernon and authorizes an economic development incentive package totaling $500,000. It also directs staff to negotiate an Economic Development Agreement with the company.
The proposal requires D-Wave to deliver 100 net new jobs inside city limits over a five-year retention period, with an average annual wage of at least $125,000. The agenda notes that funds are available in the city’s economic development account. The incentive move was reported by the South Florida Business Journal.
D-Wave Picks BRiC For Its U.S. Headquarters
In a Jan. 27 company news release, D-Wave said it will shift its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto to the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, better known locally as BRiC, and establish a U.S. R&D facility on the same campus. The relocation is expected to wrap up before the end of 2026.
CEO Alan Baratz said Florida’s growing tech ecosystem made the state an ideal choice, and the company framed the move as a way to create a bicoastal footprint for system redundancy and development. The announcement names BRiC as the planned headquarters site and links the relocation to a strategy of expanding D-Wave’s research and commercial operations in the United States.
FAU To Host A $20 Million Advantage2 System
As reported by Florida Atlantic University, FAU has signed a $20 million agreement to purchase and install a D-Wave Advantage2 annealing quantum computer on its Boca Raton campus. The system is slated to support research, teaching and collaborations with industry partners…