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The race for leadership in quantum computing is no longer a thought experiment. It is becoming one of the most important economic opportunities of the next generation. The question is not whether quantum will reshape industries. The question is whether the United States will build the regional ecosystems needed to lead that transformation. Congress can help answer that question by passing the Advancing Regional Quantum Hubs Act.
Quantum computing is often framed as a scientific breakthrough, but it is just as much an industrial opportunity. It has the potential to accelerate drug discovery, improve battery design, strengthen fraud detection, optimize supply chains, advance materials science, and tackle complex problems in manufacturing, energy, logistics, cybersecurity, agriculture, finance, and defense. That means its impact will not be limited to one sector or a handful of laboratories. It can drive innovation across nearly every part of the economy.
That is why regional strategy matters. The next wave of growth will come not only from invention, but from commercialization, workforce development, supply chain strength, and the ability to turn technical leadership into broad-based prosperity. Regions that can connect research, business, talent, and infrastructure will be the ones that capture the value of this technology.
The Hudson Valley is positioned to do exactly that. Our region has world-class research institutions, a strong talent pipeline, and innovative companies already operating at the frontier of advanced technology. Just as important, IBM has made the Hudson Valley central to its quantum strategy. From Yorktown Heights to Poughkeepsie, IBM has built and expanded critical quantum operations here, making clear that this region is not simply hoping to participate in the quantum economy someday. It is already helping shape it.
That leadership should matter in Washington. When a global technology company keeps investing in a region, it signals that the ingredients for long-term success are already in place: talent, infrastructure, technical depth, and room to grow. Federal policy should reinforce that momentum. The Advancing Regional Quantum Hubs Act would help create the framework needed to connect federal quantum strategy to regional economic development and support the ecosystems where this industry can scale.
The job potential is enormous. A robust quantum economy will need physicists, engineers, software developers, technicians, advanced manufacturing workers, electricians, construction trades, project managers, educators, and entrepreneurs. It will support startups, suppliers, service firms, and training pipelines that grow alongside the core technology. These are the kinds of high-quality jobs communities should be competing for: skilled, well-paid, future-oriented careers that give people a path to advancement and give young talent a reason to stay and build a life here.
The benefits will ripple far beyond the lab. High-value innovation jobs strengthen local tax bases, support small businesses, expand opportunity for working families, and create confidence that a region is moving forward. That is why quantum matters not just as a scientific milestone, but as an economic development strategy. If America wants the industries of the future to be built here, it must invest in the places ready to build them.
As President and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, I strongly support the Advancing Regional Quantum Hubs Act. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand deserves credit for advancing legislation that recognizes the role regions like the Hudson Valley can play in America's quantum future. "The Advancing Regional Quantum Hubs Act is exactly the kind of bold, forward-looking federal investment that the Hudson Valley has been positioned to lead. Our region is home to world-class research institutions, a deep talent pipeline, and innovation-driven companies already working at the frontier of quantum information science — and this legislation creates the interagency architecture we need to convert those strengths into jobs, capital, and economic growth. By bringing the U.S. Economic Development Administration to the quantum policy table and directing NSF and the Department of Energy to support regional innovation initiatives, Congress is recognizing what we have long known: America's quantum future will be built region by region. I urge Congress to pass this bill without delay."
The opportunity is real. The private-sector leadership is here. The regional assets are here. Congress should act accordingly and give the Hudson Valley and regions like it the tools to help lead the next great wave of American industry.
(See Press Release on New Bipartisan Bill Below)
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