NSF Renews Illinois-Led HQAN With $37.5 Million for 5-Year Modular Quantum Push

1 articles · Updated · Newswise · Aug 25

$37.5 million in new NSF funding gives the Illinois-led HQAN a second five-year phase to turn modular quantum computing research into an industry-ready pathway.
HQAN focuses on linking smaller quantum processing units into networks, an approach researchers increasingly see as the most practical route to scaling quantum computers beyond monolithic designs.
The center brings together 45 senior researchers from six institutions and 16 industry partners, including Google, IBM, IonQ and Quantinuum, with Illinois, Chicago, Wisconsin and Northwestern forming its Midwest core.
First-phase results included more than 210 peer-reviewed papers, several modular-networking milestones and education programs that reached over 12,000 students while placing 27 alumni in industry, 17 in faculty roles and nine in national labs.
The renewed program will add work on interconnects, software, error correction and chip-scale integration, underscoring Illinois' broader push to build a regional quantum workforce and technology hub.