New York to get a quantum chip fab – and the city will share in the profits
NYU will build a $284 million center in Manhattan to make and test quantum components. It is scheduled to open in 2030.
Photo: Billie Grace Ward from New York, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
New York City is getting its own quantum chip manufacturing facility. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Oct. 14 that New York University will build the NYU Quantum Fabrication Facility, or QFab, a 23,000-square-foot site at 770 Broadway in Manhattan. It will make and test quantum chips and components and offer cleanrooms, cryogenics, workforce training and support for startups. The facility is expected to open in 2030.
The city is contributing $29.2 million, and NYU is investing $255 million for construction and 10 years of operations, for a total of $284 million. Sen. Chuck Schumer also secured federal funding for the project, though the amount was not disclosed. In return, the city gets three seats on an advisory board and 15% of NYU's proceeds from city-funded intellectual property, such as licenses and equity stakes.
“When the public invests in a new technology at the start, the public should share in the success,” Deputy Mayor Julie Su said. The city says the center is expected to support more than 100 companies and reach more than 35,000 New Yorkers in its first 10 years, including more than 5,000 students. Partners also include the City University of New York and the city's public schools.