UC Innovation Drives the Future of Quantum Computing

The race to perfect the quantum computer is on — and researchers across the University of California campuses are helping position the nation at the front of the pack.

As summarized in a recent UC Newsroom article by Julia Busiek, the quantum information science programs at UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara — all three of which are part of the UC Noyce Initiative — are home to pioneering research efforts that could redefine the boundaries of science and technology.

It’s part of the reason why those involved with the UC Noyce Initiative say the mission is uniquely positioned to have a tremendous impact on society.

“The UC Noyce Initiative is designed to harness the combined strengths of the University of California system, which is home to some of the top research institutions in the world, and lead some of the most exciting scientific opportunities of our time, including quantum information science,” said Bryan Kerner, director of the UC Noyce Initiative. 

“This is what makes the Noyce Initiative so powerful: it brings together global experts who might not otherwise collaborate and gives them a structure and resources to innovate together.”

The power of that collaboration becomes even more evident when considering the breadth and depth of expertise across the UC system. Quantum information science doesn’t just rely on physicists, but on computer scientists, engineers, materials scientists and mathematicians working together to solve incredibly complex challenges.

"You can point to outstanding people or projects at other places, but the collection of strengths we have in all these different disciplines and facilities across UC doesn’t really exist anywhere else," said Steve Kahn, dean of the Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at UC Berkeley, in the UC Newsroom article. "That's why I say UC leads the world in quantum information science."

UC’s prominence in quantum research has also attracted major investments from both government and industry. Microsoft, for instance, has a quantum computer lab at UC Santa Barbara, where researchers announced in February that they had developed the first-ever topological quantum chip. Likewise, Google has established its quantum computing operations nearby.

"Google’s quantum computing effort is actually right across the street from us," said Chetan Nayak, who led the topological chip project and holds dual roles on the faculty at UC Santa Barbara and as head of Microsoft’s quantum research arm, in the UC Newsroom article. "The reason two of the world’s five biggest companies are here is precisely because of the UC system."

This momentum is helping drive opportunity not just for researchers, but for students as well.

Kaustubh Simha, a third-year undergraduate at UC Irvine, is working in Professor Luis A. Jauregui's lab where the team is developing a new two-dimensional material that could eventually replace silicon in computers and smartphones.

Research opportunities like this are "the reason why you'd want to go to a UC versus any other school," Simha said in the UC Newsroom interview. "We have some pretty rare equipment, like a fridge that goes down to 0.3 Kelvin. We can do some very cool physics in those systems. I’ve had opportunities here that I don't think I would have anywhere else."

Simha's experience reflects a broader commitment across the UC system to foster hands-on, high-impact research opportunities for students, especially in emerging fields like quantum information science. 

Recognizing the prowess of the UC system in this area and the importance of the race to perfect quantum to, UC Noyce made quantum information science a top priority in its 2024-25 funding cycle, thereby helping UC researchers explore the next generation of computing innovation.

Read the full story from the University of California: The race to the perfect quantum computer — and how UC is helping America hold its lead.