Moreton Bay poaches quantum supercomputer from Brisbane Airport
Plans to install the world’s first quantum supercomputer at Brisbane Airport have been canceled as Moreton Bay stepped in to take on the billion-dollar project.
PsiQuantum has announced plans in 2024 to see a Suncorp Stadium-sized computer facility built near the Qantas hangar with almost $1 billion in state and federal government support.
Construction was expected to begin at the airport last year, but PsiQuantum announced on Wednesday that preliminary work had begun elsewhere – at the Moreton Bay Central site in Petrie, about 22 kilometers north of the Brisbane CBD – with an official groundbreaking ceremony in June.
The site, formerly Petrie Paper Mill, is home to the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Moreton Bay campus and will also host Olympic and Paralympic events at the planned indoor sports centre.
A TAFE center of excellence dedicated to advanced manufacturing is also planned for the facility.
Interim PsiQuantum general manager Victor Peng said this created a site with the capacity to support the infrastructure and operational requirements required for the state-of-the-art project.
“PsiQuantum’s mission to build the world’s first utility-scale quantum computer requires speed, agility and strong partnerships,” he said.
“The City of Moreton Bay provides the infrastructure, scalability and collaborative environment we need to deliver.
“We look forward to our continued partnership with the City of Moreton Bay and our partners in the federal and Queensland governments to move this project forward and bring this technology to life.”
Because of PsiQuantum’s strict embargo terms, comment could not be sought from state and federal governments, which have collectively poured $1 billion in equity and loans into the company.
After coming to power in 2024, Prime Minister David Crisafulli announced a review into investment with treasurer David Janetzki and said the deal was “dripping with Labor Party lobbyists”.
But the value of that government investment doubled last September as the Silicon Valley-based company attracted new investors including Nvidia and Macquarie Bank.
PsiQuantum’s head of Australian operations, Robert Lindwall, said Brisbane Airport had acted professionally and collaboratively in closing the deal.
“Brisbane Airport has been a constructive partner of PsiQuantum and we thank the team for the positive engagement and support shown throughout our time working together,” he said.
As for Brisbane Airport, chief commercial officer Scott Norris remained excited about PsiQuantum and said the airport remained “an ideal base for technology, innovation and research for growth”.
“Quantum computing will bring huge benefits to Queensland, from accelerating breakthroughs in health and climate science to powering the state’s advanced industries, and we look forward to seeing the positive impacts PsiQuantum will achieve,” Norris said.
Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said PsiQuantum’s move would boost economic growth in his city and across the province.
“This investment will help promote high-skilled jobs, attract new industries and strengthen Queensland’s position in advanced manufacturing and future technologies,” he said.
“Moreton Bay Central is becoming a destination for businesses looking to grow with a skilled workforce, strong infrastructure and leading education and training institutions.”
University of Queensland physics graduate Jeremy O’Brien founded PsiQuantum in 2016.
The company planned to open its testing and validation laboratory at Griffith University’s Nathan campus next week, which it described as a key step in building Queensland’s quantum research, engineering and technical capacity.
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