Sydney’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Boasts New Quantum Terminal

Aerial view of Sydney's central business district. jamenpercy/Adobe Stock

Sydney’s self-described Silicon Valley, Tech Central, has unveiled its new Quantum Terminal, promising research and innovation in quantum technology and helping position Australia as a global high-tech hub.

The Quantum Terminal is part of Sydney’s Tech Central, a precinct spanning six central suburbs with plans for 25 hectares of office space—enough for an estimated 25,000 tech industry workers.

Q-Ctrl, Sydney Quantum Academy, and Quantum Brilliance will become its first tenants, with a focus on collaboration between researchers, developers, and engineers to advance quantum technology, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence.

This comes right after Australia’s announcement of a $70 million Quantum Commercialisation Hub that will facilitate research with the United States, the United Kingdom and other allies to bring the nation’s tech to a global stage.

Concept design for Sydney's Tech Central, 2020. State of New South Wales and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Jobs, Investment, and Trade and Industry Stuart Ayres praised Tech Central and its Quantum Terminal as a hotspot for the industry’s future.

“Quantum Terminal along with the rest of Tech Central will form one of the most vibrant innovation corridors in Australia,” Ayres said.

Atlassian—a company that has recently been evaluated at over US$100 billion—will become Tech Central’s anchor with its $546 million, 40-storey headquarters accommodating 5,000 operational jobs.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the project would help the state bounce back following the global pandemic, which was caused by the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

“With first-class researchers and entrepreneurs eager to collaborate and an innovation precinct ready to support jobs growth, NSW is in pole position to become a global leader in technology,” Perrottet said.

“Tech Central is predicted to bring up to 25,000 jobs to NSW and will be a major player in accelerating our economic recovery and future-proofing our economy.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet at a media conference at NSW State Parliament in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 21, 2021. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

It is estimated that the development, commercialisation, and adoption of quantum technologies can deliver Australia AU$4 billion in economic value and create 16,000 new jobs by 2040.

The field of quantum research has also caught attention at a federal level, becoming one of nine priority fields in the government’s Critical Technology Blueprint and Action Plan.

This includes a $111 million plan to secure the development, commercialisation and adoption of the tech across defence, national security, and other industries.

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• Australia Joins the Quantum Race

“The simple fact is that nations at the leading edge of technology have greater economic, political and military power,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison previously said.

Australia has already outlined its military goals using quantum tech, including quantum-computer based guided weapons systems. The Australian Defence Force has announced its ambitions in the Army Quantum Technology Roadmap (pdf), with early-stage use already in the works.