Westchester County and local technology hubs are actively advancing into the field of quantum computing. Companies such as IBM in Yorktown Heights and SEEQC in Elmsford have various career opportunities in the quantum sector.
“We’re going to need a lot more people who have masters and PhDs in quantum computing to keep pushing the field forward,” says Deborah Novick, Westchester County’s Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The county is focused on quantum computing, thanks in part to the CHIPS Act that allocates funds to training new workers on semiconductors and telecommunications. Quantum computers rely on different physical laws, says Olivia Lanes, Global Lead, IBM Quantum Content and Education.
“The algorithms, the processors, and the infrastructure all have to be created differently for quantum,” says Lanes. “And that leads to a lot of really technical challenges, but the promise of it is immense. If we can make it work, we’ll be able to compute things that have never been solved.”
Career potential at SEEQC
A variety of specialties and skills are needed in the quantum field. At SEEQC, a quantum computing startup, there are career opportunities for process engineers, superconducting test engineers, quantum computing research scientists, and engineering lab electronics technicians.
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“It’s interesting because right now, 75% of our team have PhDs, but the kinds of positions that we will be hiring for are going to be more in the line of people with STEM bachelor’s or master’s degrees,” says CEO of SEEQC John Levy.
Not only does SEEQC design and test chips for quantum, but it also manufactures its own chips in Westchester. In September, SEEQC secured $22.4 million in its Series A fundraising, led by the EQT Ventures fund. The funding will help the startup advance commercially viable application-specific quantum computing systems.
“It’s a very laborious process to test our chips, so that’s an area where we expect job growth,” says Levy. “Also, as we begin to scale up production, working in our chip foundry will be the second major area for employment.”
Quantum growth at IBM
IBM also has growing opportunities in Westchester for careers in quantum computing. The Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights is the global headquarters of IBM Research. The center is home to more than 1,500 scientists, engineers, and designers. In 2022, IBM made a $20 billion investment in computation manufacturing, including CHIP research and development.
“IBM has big internship programs every summer for students,” says Lanes. “But we also have virtual summer classes that anybody can enroll in anywhere across the world. Those classes are hosted virtually, and all the people creating them are in the Westchester area.”
The work available in quantum computing is expanding, explains Lanes. There’s the technical side, for which people might need an engineering or physics degree, and the programming side, which may require a computer science degree. Lanes says IBM also hires people with a diverse skill set in other fields such as program management, sales and business.
“It’s hard because we need to find people who can merge business-savvy Intel with really technical quantum physics,” says Lanes. “There’s no perfect candidate, but if you have some of the skills, you can learn the others.”
Beyond local companies, Westchester County is working to create more awareness, development, and career training for quantum computing. The Westchester County Office of Economic Development, in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, announced the launch of a Quantum Computing and Networking Technology Mobilization (QUANTM) consortium.
The consortium has more than 40 stakeholders from across the region, representing more than 25 organizations and institutions including Brookhaven National Labs, SEEQC IBM, NYU, Westchester County Association, and Mount Vernon STEAM Academy. The goal is to have organizations work together to further research and job growth in Westchester’s quantum computing career field.
“We are working to understand what programming is needed,” says Novick. “So maybe there need to be some specialized quantum computing and quantum algorithm courses offered as part of a computer science major. That’s something we’re looking into.”
Two upcoming events are being organized and hosted by the QUANTM Consortium. In September, there is a multi-university quantum hackathon in New York City called NYC HAQ. Here, participants will learn quantum computing from some of the best in the industry and hear about the work being done in the field. In October, NYU will host an NYC Quantum Summit, a two-day event aimed at creating a quantum hub to identify long-term opportunities in quantum computation and communication.
“You have all of these academic, government, and private industries working on quantum in New York State,” says Levy. “I think it speaks to the fact that New York State is of tremendous importance to the future of quantum.”
Related: What It’s Like to Be a Client Engineering Manager at IBM
