On Tuesday, August 13th the Tech Talent: Boulder/Broomfield Sector Partnership convened at the University of Colorado Boulder to have a conversation around the quantum workforce, barriers to scaled production, and opportunities for collaboration and growth of Boulder County’s tech ecosystem.
The meeting consisted of presentations from:
Scott Sternberg, Executive Director of the CUbit Quantum Initiative at CU Boulder
CUbit Initiative Overview
- “The CUbit Quantum Initiative reinforces Colorado’s prominence in quantum information science and technology, partners with regional universities and laboratories, links closely with quantum-intensive companies, and serves a spectrum of local, regional and national interests, including workforce development” (CUbit Quantum Initiative).
Funding Status
- Along with the $40.5 million granted by the EDA, the State of Colorado has committed $77 million in total to Elevate Quantum, a designated US tech hub and largest regional consortium in America. $44 million is set to go towards the construction of a Rapid Prototyping and Low-Volume Manufacturing Lab and the R1 Incubator, a shared research space for Elevate Quantum, CU, Mines, and CSU.
Louis Rosner, Economic Development Analyst at the Boulder Chamber
Trends in Quantum Related Degrees
- CU graduates in quantum related fields have increased steadily year over year from 500 students to approximately 1,300 since 2014 despite a dip in 2022. Although the number of undergraduate graduates has begun to decrease over the past year, the number of students earning master’s degrees in quantum-related fields continues to rise and is expected to surpass their undergraduate counterparts within the next year.
Demographic Trends
- Compared to the rest of the university, graduates with quantum related degrees are more white, more male, and come from non-first-gen families. From 2014 to 2024, the percentage of female and PoC graduates has increased 6.6% and 15.6%, respectively. There is still significantly more progress to be made with first-gen students.
Insights from Industry Partners:
- The quantum talent pipeline is still in its nascent stages, and significant efforts in both manufacturing and tech are needed to scale operations. Where quantum companies are currently looking to hire PhD level experience, this growth is expected to create numerous job opportunities that do not require advanced degrees.
- Tech partners like Form Factor are interested in connecting with the Colorado manufacturing network on fabrication opportunities and other ways they may be able to partner and utilize the local ecosystem.
- With the “Accelerate” pillar of the Elevate Quantum funding proposal not funded by the EDA, Quantum startups are eager to see the work being done with tax incentives, loan guarantees, and other funding opportunities for smaller, up and coming labs.