The University of California, San Diego Qualcomm Institute (QI) is preparing to host a historic event in California. Approximately 200 top industry, academic, government, and national lab executives will attend the invitation-only Quantum San Diego Convening on May 18–19, 2026.
This meeting takes place at an important point in California quantum technology policy. To solidify the state’s position as a world leader in quantum computing, sensing, networking, and materials, Governor Gavin Newsom introduced the Quantum California project late last year. The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is now creating a strategy framework to determine the ecosystem’s advantages, disadvantages, and possibilities in accordance with state law AB 940. This report, which is due to the state legislature by the end of June, is anticipated to be directly informed by the conclusions from the San Diego gathering.
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The Search for Appealing Applications
Addressing the dual issues of applications and scalability is one of the event’s main objectives, according to Riley Need, a QI research specialist. Need stated, Compelling applications that justify a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar investment in materials discovery, cryptography, and logistics. The community must also find “killer apps” that justify multi-billion-dollar investments, despite the well-documented technical challenges of developing quantum hardware.
- Quantum computers can perfectly simulate molecular structures that conventional computers can only approximate, changing aeronautical and pharmaceutical design. Stronger drugs or high-temperature aviation materials may occur.
- Cryptography: The “quantum-era risk” is now being addressed in the field. There is a global drive on post-quantum cryptography, standardized classical algorithms immune to quantum attacks, after Shor’s algorithm demonstrated that quantum computers might crack conventional RSA encryption.
- Logistics and Optimization: The transportation and manufacturing industries might benefit greatly economically from even little advances in supply chain management or intricate scheduling.
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The Challenge of Scaling “Noisy” Hardware
The physical development of dependable machinery is the second significant obstacle. The hundreds or thousands of “noisy” qubits that make up today’s quantum computers are very delicate to blunders. “They lose information easily, they make mistakes, and their calculations can drift off course if you don’t constantly correct them,” Need said. The industry generally believes that error correction, when several physical qubits cooperate to generate a single, stable “logical” qubit, is necessary for quantum computing to become revolutionary. Several companies, such as the Caltech spinout Oratomic, are investigating ways to execute sophisticated algorithms with as few as 10,000 qubits through specialized system design.
This leads to a “co-design” issue where algorithms and hardware must be created together. Need compared the present condition of the area to classical computing in the 1950s and early 1960s, when transistors were replacing vacuum tubes and the technology’s ultimate usefulness was still up for question.
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Creating a Cooperative Ecosystem
The purpose of the San Diego gathering is to close the gap between different participants. The keynote speakers are Nobel laureate John Martinis, an industry veteran who specializes in the scaling problem, and GO-Biz Deputy Director Trelynd Bradley, who will present the state’s legislative perspective.
Small-group roundtable discussions will be a major part of the program. These meetings will address challenging issues related to shared infrastructure and workforce development. Bridging that gap requires a relationship that’s genuinely collaborative, adaptive and reciprocal, Need stated. Industry and academia are known to be at odds: businesses need highly skilled engineers but frequently cannot share proprietary details, while universities need transparency to design effective curricula. To retain people and businesses in California, the state is also exploring methods to invest in shared facilities and equipment.
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California Quantum future
Although the inaugural Quantum California report is a short-term objective, the organizers hope that the San Diego gathering will eventually become an annual event. The goal is to keep the momentum going despite changes in the state budget or the leadership of the governor.
The field is now at the base of a “hockey stick” growth curve, and the concerns are said to have “exponential potential.” As the technology advances from scientific inquiry to commercial reality, experts predict at least ten years of fast testing and investment. The UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute aims to keep the “quantum revolution” firmly anchored in California by coordinating the interests of Silicon Valley, Southern California’s research centers, and state legislators.
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