The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is the latest major institution to announce an investment in new quantum research infrastructure, with plans to build a 100,000-square-foot facility and hire new faculty members to establish a regional quantum hub in Knoxville.
The planned Knoxville Quantum Accelerator (K-Quantum), described in a recent news release, is part of Tennessee’s broader push to grow the quantum technology sector via Gov. Bill Lee’s $43 million Tennessee Quantum Initiative, which seeks to attract new companies and create high-paying jobs. The release said K-Quantum will connect UT Knoxville with partners in the state, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Tennessee Valley Authority and quantum-computing company IonQ.
“The collaboration and partnerships at the center of K-Quantum will drive innovation and position both our university and our region as power players in the future of quantum systems,” UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman said in a public statement…