Governor Newsom Visits Berkeley Quantum Lab of UC Noyce Researcher
On October 3, UC Noyce Initiative Researcher Irfan Siddiqi became part of history when California Governor Gavin Newsom visited his quantum research laboratory at UC Berkeley to sign landmark legislation designed to accelerate innovation in quantum science and technology.
The governor’s visit underscores the UC system’s leadership in emerging fields that promise to transform science, technology and society. The new legislation, Assembly Bill 940 establishes statewide quantum innovation zones and, according to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks — who introduced the bill after consulting with experts including Siddiqi — “is really California planting its flag to lead this industry.”
“This bill lowers the barriers for companies to stay in California,” Siddiqi said in a UC Berkeley article, “leveraging all the quantum resources in the state.”
Small Devices Drive Massive Technological Change
During the Governor’s visit to Siddiqi's lab, he examined a sample quantum processor — a centimeter-scale chip containing a dozen qubits.
“That’s it? That’s literally it?” the governor remarked with surprise, noting the profound potential of such small devices to drive massive technological change.
Unlike traditional computers that process information in binary bits—either zeros or ones—quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can exist in multiple states at once. This property enables forms of problem-solving far beyond the reach of classical systems. Beyond computing, advances in quantum science are driving breakthroughs in ultra-secure communication networks, revolutionary materials, and high-precision sensors that harness the fundamental properties of particles and light. Together, these innovations could transform industries and reshape how society approaches technology and information. Analysts predict the quantum economy will grow to a multi-trillion-dollar market within a generation.
( Photo credit: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom)
The Making of the “Quantum Valley”
Siddiqi, who focuses on solid-state qubits, explained that the UC system’s depth of research expertise, coupled with this new legislation, could enable California to become “a Silicon Valley for quantum.”
The reference to Silicon Valley — the region that cemented California’s reputation as a global leader in innovation — is apropos. It was Robert N. Noyce, whose invention of the silicon microchip set the stage for the digital revolution. Now, the state and the UC Noyce Initiative’s investment in a new generation of researchers builds on that same spirit of ingenuity to shape the future of quantum technologies in computation, communication, and materials science.
It is part of the reason why quantum information science is one of the current funding priorities for the UC Noyce Initiative. The Robert N. Noyce Trust is investing in this next era of discovery within the UC system supporting cross-campus research, shared facilities and interdisciplinary collaboration in quantum information science among the five participating campuses.
For example, UC Berkeley and UC Davis are pursuing complementary research partnerships supported by the UC Noyce Initiative, while UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara are advancing quantum innovation through a major NSF-funded collaboration. Collectively, these efforts are helping position the UC system as a national leader in the rapidly evolving field of quantum science and technology.
“Quantum California”
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons described these efforts as “the launchpad for ‘Quantum California’ — a partnership between academia, industry and government to foster research excellence and build the quantum workforce.”
“We have the academic research to support these newer technologies. We have a private sector that wants to invest in this,” Representative Wicks said at a UC Berkeley press conference. “We need the state to have skin in the game, and we need the state to demonstrate that we’re … actually going to lead on quantum research here in California.”