Quantum New Mexico Institute names new director as quantum race heats up
His goal? To position New Mexico as a leader in the highly competitive race to "rapidly innovate quantum," Ledoux told the Journal.
"Right now is absolutely the tipping point for quantum," he said.
New Mexico has already made strides in branding itself as a quantum hub, notably with its participation in the regional Elevate Quantum Tech Hub. Last week, an initiative partly propelled by Elevate Quantum was named as a semifinalist for a federal funding program that has the potential to funnel up to $160 million into quantum development and commercialization.
The Quantum New Mexico Institute, or QNM-I, is a joint research entity that not only aims to expand quantum research and development but also educate about the field. The University of New Mexico, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory run the research center. Its former co-directors, Ivan Deutsch and Tzvetan Metodi, are still part of the institute, according to UNM.
Ledoux described quantum computing essentially as "what you need to accurately and rapidly simulate a quantum system," from chemical systems like catalysts or superconductors to simulating the behavior of molecules or materials. The computations are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve on classical computers.
There's a lot of momentum right now in the quantum industry because of its current level of advancement, Ledoux said. He compared it to artificial intelligence, which people had referenced for decades but didn't actually take off until machine learning commercialized it.
"A field has to reach a certain maturity where it's not just like a science project," he said. "It becomes like, now you have to prepare for a whole new field."
Ledoux holds his doctorate in experimental nuclear physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Most recently, Ledoux served as program director of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, within the U.S. Department of Energy, responsible for funding energy research and development technology. He also served in the past as CEO of Passport Systems, a technology company he founded that specializes in nonintrusive cargo inspection.
Ledoux plans to move to New Mexico by Aug. 1 from Washington, D.C.
"A lot of things are coming together," Ledoux said of the quantum industry. "It's time (and is) a time I'm excited about."
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