BERKELEY — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed into law legislation that is aimed at advancing the state’s position in fusion and quantum technologies, a move lawmakers see as a key in keeping California as the epicenter of global innovation.
Newsom made the announcement while visiting one of two of the state’s national quantum research hubs.
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“California is the epicenter of global innovation — it’s made us the fourth-largest economy in the world and the talent pipeline for the nation,” Newsom said in a statement. “Our state was literally born from our ability to lean into emerging industries that will change our world. While others dream, California is delivering the future — the Golden State is where the innovations of tomorrow begin.”
The announcement came just three days after Fremont-based energy startup company Pacific Fusion announced that it will build its new $1 billion nuclear fusion site in Albuquerque, N.M., spurning Bay Area bids from both Livermore and Alameda.
Fusion and quantum technologies are both priorities under Newsom’s economic blueprint. Fusion is the process of smashing two atoms together to produce energy. Quantum technology creates new processes and devices by examining how matter and energy behave at the atomic and subatomic levels.
Quantum computing, according to Newsom’s statement, has the potential to solve equations in minutes compared to modern-day computers, which might need thousands of years to complete the same work. Newsom said those advances could enhance discoveries in medication, improve artificial intelligence, combat climate change and model complex scenarios.
Under one of the pieces of legislation Newsom signed — Assembly Bill 940, authored by Assemblyperson Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland — the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development will publish a strategy that aligns with the state’s economic blueprint to grow the quantum economy in regions throughout the state.
“Quantum will define the future,” Wicks said in a statement. She added that the bill “ensures we are positioning ourselves to lead in quantum innovation, create good-paying jobs and capture the immense economic value this technology will generate.”
Senate Bill 80 creates an initiative that will distribute $5 million toward advancing research and development into fusion energy. Newsom said his goal is to deliver the world’s first fusion energy pilot project in the state by the 2040s and have 100% clean energy in the state by 2045. State Senator Anna M. Caballero (D-Merced) authored the bill.
