$300 Million Quantum Hub Will Propel Stony Brook’s Leadership in Science and Technology

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced the $300 million investment in a new Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at CEWIT September 17. Photos by John Griffin.

Governor Hochul makes historic announcement at Stony Brook's Research & Development Park

The State University of New York at Stony Brook's leadership and achievement in quantum sciencestretches back decades, and Governor Kathy Hochul's announcement of a $300 million state investmentto establish a new Quantum Research and Innovation Hub positions the university to continue to pave the way in next-generation science and technology.

"This investment will cement SUNY's role as a global powerhouse," said Hochul, who called the investment a transformative step for New York's role in advancing computing, cybersecurity, medical discovery, and clean energy solutions. "We don't just want to be the best in the nation - that's aiming too low. Our moonshot is to be the one recognized globally as the place where the smartest people want to be and the smartest students want to be educated, and the ideas that are incubated here are commercialized, and we create more jobs here on Long Island and in New York City."

"It's an incredibly exciting time for Stony Brook to be leading the country and the world in many areas of foundational technology, such as quantum information science, AI, semiconductors, energy efficiency, fintech, physics, and math," said Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith, who called this quantum moment comparable to the early days of the mobile phone.

"At the dawn of cellular technologies in the 1980s, the idea of sending a video from a small device in your pocket seemed magical," she said. "Today, sending quantum information anywhere in the world also seems magical. Yet we have created that magic here at Stony Brook by building the largest quantum network in the country."

Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith (right) with (from her right) SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr., SUNY Trustee Cary Staller, and Stony Brook student Luca Rallis, president of the SUNY Student Assembly.

Funding for the Quantum Hub represents one of the largest research commitments in SUNY history, and will encompass a new building with research laboratories, classrooms, seminar rooms, and offices, and a suite of transformative programs designed to accelerate breakthroughs in quantum research, data infrastructure and education. The facility is expected to house:

• A Quantum Institutewhere researchers across disciplines (physics, computer science, materials science, electrical engineering and others) will study the complex problems requiring quantum processing power, as well as the materials, devices, and algorithms needed to advance distributed quantum computing and communication.
• A Quantum Data Center, the first hybrid Quantum computer hosted at an academic institution in New York state.
• A Quantum Education Consortium, which will have state-of-the-art education facilities supporting innovation in quantum education, curriculum and course development for teachers and workforce development.

"This historic investment reflects New York's bold vision for the future of science and technology," said Stony Brook Vice President for Research and InnovationKevin Gardner. "The investment will also amplify Stony Brook's commitment to training the next generation of scientists and engineers. Together, with our partners at SUNY, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and across the state, we are positioning New York to lead the nation in the quantum revolution."

Researchers at Stony Brook - an R1 research university and member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) - are shaping the future of quantum technology, from ultra-secure communications to next-gen computing and advanced materials. The university-wide, interdisciplinary movement spans physics, engineering, chemistry, materials science, and computer science. Researchers are pioneering new quantum materials, devices, and algorithms, powered by cutting-edge infrastructure.

Front row, from left: County Legislator and alumnus Steve Englebright; Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine; State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay; Matthew Ararich, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties; Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith; Stony Brook student Luca Rallis, president of the SUNY Student Assembly; Governor Kathy Hochul; Stony Brook Professor Eden Figueroa; SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.; SUNY Trustee Cary Staller; SUNY Board of Trustees Chair Merryl H. Tisch; Stony Brook Council Chairman Kevin Law. Back row, from left: State Senators Mario Mattera and Anthony Palumbo; Ryan Stanton, executive director of the Long Island Federation of Labor; State Senator and alumna Monica Martinez '08.

Stony Brook is the only team in the country to receive the Phase 2 National Quantum Virtual Laboratory award from the NSF in the space of quantum networking, and operates the largest quantum network in the nation, across 170 miles, extending from SBU to Brookhaven National Laboratory to New York City.

The nation's largest Quantum Internet Test Bedis underway, starting with a five-node network on Long Island and anchored by the Quantum Internet Control Room on Stony Brook's main campus. This effort will provide the basis for the $13 million project overseen by the Long Island Quantum Internet Center, based at Stony Brook in collaboration with Brookhaven Lab.

Stony Brook, New York State's flagship university, is also leading the SCY-QNet initiative- a wide-area, 10-node quantum network connecting labs at Stony Brook, Columbia, Yale, and BNL through quantum entanglement and repeaters. Backed by the National Science Foundation's National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) program, SCY-QNet is designed to lay the groundwork for a future Quantum Internet.

Presidential Innovation Endowed Professor and director of the Center for Distributed Quantum Processing Eden Figueroa explained "entanglement," a cornerstone of quantum mechanics with the potential to revolutionize communication systems. "When you create two particles at the same time, they become like twins," Figueroa said. "If one particle is disturbed, the other instantly reflects that change, no matter how far apart they are." He added, "This allows for secure quantum communication." He described how entangled photons can be created in his lab at Stony Brook and then sent to two distant locations. "If one photon is tampered with, the other will immediately show a change, signaling an intrusion."

This ability to detect eavesdropping is central to what Figueroa calls the quantum alarm. "In quantum communication, security is built into the physics itself," he explained. "The laws of nature guarantee that if someone tries to intercept your information, you'll know immediately."

This breakthrough opens up possibilities for an entirely new internet communication system, protected by the principles of quantum physics.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said Stony Brook "is already at the nexus of quantum excellence."

Governor Hochul made the announcement September 17 at Stony Brook's New York State Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT)in Research and Development Park, before faculty, staff and students, as well as local and elected officials. Those in attendance included State Senator and alumna Monica Martinez '08, State Senator Mario Mattera, State Senator Anthony Palumbo, State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay, Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright, and Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine, along with SUNY Board of Trustees Chair Merryl Tisch, SUNY Trustee Cary Staller, Stony Brook University Council Chair Kevin Law, and SBU student Luca Rallis, president of the SUNY Student Assembly.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. praised the investment as a milestone when education and research are at risk. "Stony Brook is already at the nexus of quantum excellence," King said, adding that quantum research has the potential to transform fields from cybersecurity to medicine, with Stony Brook playing a central role.

Staller noted the investment's long-term impact on Long Island. "When I was a kid growing up on Long Island, aerospace powered the economy," Staller said. "Now, with the leadership of Governor Hochul, we are planting the seeds for the next industry that will power Long Island for generations to come and change our world."

"It is days like today that make us proud to be in New York State and proud to be Stony Brook students," said Rallis. "The Quantum Research and Innovation Hub will be a nation-leading center that expands economic opportunity and strengthens our global competitiveness."