A state-commissioned study ranks New York second in the nation for quantum businesses, research groups and patent families. Its findings also place AFRL Rome, the Griffiss Institute and Innovare among the assets that could bring more research, contracts and skilled jobs to the Mohawk Valley.

The New York quantum technology study released Friday says the state has the scientific talent and industrial base to compete in a field with growing importance for computing, cybersecurity, communications and sensing. The report also warns that New York will need better statewide coordination, easier access to specialized facilities, more technician training and stronger early-stage financing to turn those assets into broad economic gains.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the 114-page study on Oct. 23. Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation, known as NYSTAR, commissioned it, and industry research firm The Quantum Insider prepared it. The report is therefore both a detailed inventory and a guide for state economic-development policy. Its forecasts should be read as estimates, not promises.

What the New York quantum technology study found

The study identified 134 operating entities, 219 research groups and 734 patent families tied to quantum technology in New York. On all three measures, New York ranks second to California. The report also says New York and California are the only two states among those reviewed with capabilities across the full quantum value chain, from basic research and manufacturing to commercial applications.

Those capabilities are spread across all 10 state economic-development regions. Long Island has Brookhaven National Laboratory and the planned state quantum hub at Stony Brook. The Capital Region has advanced chip research and manufacturing. The Finger Lakes has strength in optics and photonics. New York City has financial, health and other large potential customers. The Mohawk Valley has federal research, secure communications work and the Griffiss technology network in Rome.

The governor’s announcement says the findings will guide a $360 million state commitment. That includes $300 million for a Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at Stony Brook University and $60 million for up to four Regional Quantum Technology Commercialization Hubs. The regional hubs are expected to connect researchers, manufacturers and customers while operating incubators for quantum startups.

Why quantum matters in plain language

Quantum technology uses the behavior of matter and energy at very small scales. The field includes quantum computing, which approaches some problems differently from conventional computers; quantum networking, which can move information with new security properties; and quantum sensing, which can make extremely precise measurements.

Many quantum systems are still developing, and a useful commercial result is not guaranteed for every idea. Nearer-term work is already taking place in secure communications, networking, specialized components, measurement equipment and preparation for encryption that can resist future quantum attacks.

Longer-term possibilities include faster ways to model molecules for drug research, more sensitive medical imaging, new tools for managing electric grids and transportation networks, and better approaches to some complex logistics problems. Those possibilities are why governments and private investors are spending heavily. The state report cites about $42 billion in worldwide government commitments and $8.9 billion in U.S. federal commitments. It says private quantum companies raised $4.9 billion in 2025 and $5.3 billion so far in 2026.

Why Rome and the Mohawk Valley matter

For Central New York readers, the most important finding is that the Mohawk Valley is not starting from zero. The study names the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, the Griffiss Institute, Innovare Advancement Center and the Quantum for International initiative as regional anchors. It counts six quantum facilities in the region, while noting that its facility list is not exhaustive.

AFRL Rome works on quantum computing, networking, sensing and communications for national-security needs. The report says the lab operates a trapped-ion quantum computer and is developing methods for secure, jam-resistant communications and sensing. It also describes a possible future network connection between Rome and Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island.

Recent contracts show that this work is more than a distant concept. According to the study, IonQ received a $25.5 million award in 2023 to deliver two trapped-ion systems to AFRL Rome, a $54.5 million award in 2024 for quantum networking, and a $21.1 million follow-on award in 2025 for secure quantum networking. Those are federal research and development awards, not a guarantee of a large local commercial industry, but they create expertise, supplier needs and potential pathways for related companies.

That builds on a local foundation the Utica Phoenix has covered before. The Quantum U Tech Accelerator connected AFRL, the Griffiss Institute, Oneida County and SUNY partners. The Phoenix also reported on a new Griffiss laboratory and on a New York quantum networking breakthrough. The new study gives those projects a statewide economic-development frame.

Quantum jobs will not all require doctorates

The report says New York will need scientists and engineers, but it also emphasizes jobs that can be reached through two-year degrees, certificates, apprenticeships and employer training. Relevant skills include operating cleanrooms and vacuum systems, maintaining cryogenic equipment, assembling photonics and precision optics, testing radio-frequency and microwave components, and working with laboratory instrumentation.

A technician pathway could matter locally

This is a practical opportunity for SUNY campuses, community colleges, high schools, workforce agencies and employers in the Mohawk Valley. Programs that teach electronics, advanced manufacturing, optics, cybersecurity and laboratory skills could be aligned with the equipment and standards used by quantum employers. Students should not be told that a job is guaranteed, but training built around portable technical skills can also serve semiconductor, defense, communications and medical-device employers.

The study records some disagreement among people it interviewed. Some said the shortage of trained workers is a major bottleneck. Others said access to equipment, test facilities or investment capital is the more urgent problem. That disagreement matters because the state could waste money if it builds training programs without documented employer demand, or facilities without a workforce prepared to use them.

A large investment with a modeled return

The report estimates that the state’s $360 million commitment could support between $2.3 billion and $5 billion in economic activity through 2036. It projects 7,200 to 10,100 job-years over that period. A job-year means one full-time job supported for one year. It is not the same as 7,200 to 10,100 permanent jobs. The report estimates roughly 1,000 to 1,200 recurring jobs once the planned operations are fully running.

Those projections depend on assumptions about construction, research operations, startup growth, private investment and the use of New York suppliers. They should be treated as a range of possible outcomes. Where the regional hubs are located, who can use their equipment and whether Mohawk Valley organizations can compete for funding will shape the local benefit.

The report also distinguishes confirmed funding from announcements. It identifies $608 million in confirmed quantum funding flowing into New York since 2019 and a separate announced pipeline of $2.9 billion. It does not add the figures because 82 percent of that pipeline came from three letters of intent signed in a single month. That accounting choice is a useful warning against treating every announcement as money already spent.

What New York still lacks

New York’s assets are strong, but the study describes four gaps. First, no single body owns and coordinates the statewide quantum strategy. Second, startups and researchers can struggle to find clear, affordable access to fabrication and testing facilities. Third, technician training is not yet connected across regions and employers. Fourth, early-stage companies face financing gaps between research, prototype development and full production.

The report recommends a named statewide leader, published rules for using state-supported facilities, stronger industry-led workforce planning and financing that helps companies cross the difficult stage between a laboratory result and a product. These are less dramatic than a new building, but they may determine whether the state’s investments form one useful network or remain separate programs.

What Mohawk Valley residents and businesses should watch

The first question is whether the Mohawk Valley will host or formally participate in one of the regional commercialization hubs. The second is whether the Rome research network will be connected to the Stony Brook hub on terms that let local researchers, startups and suppliers take part. The third is whether state-funded training is tied to real hiring plans, pay levels and equipment needs.

Students and workers can monitor programs and events from the Griffiss Institute, Innovare, SUNY and local workforce organizations. Entrepreneurs and manufacturers can review NYSTAR’s network and business resources, which connects New York companies with research centers, manufacturing assistance and technology programs. Small firms should ask early about security requirements, contracting rules and the cost of qualifying as suppliers.

Local officials should also press for public measures that go beyond spending totals: the number of local trainees who complete programs, the number hired, the wages offered, contracts won by regional firms, startups formed, outside investment attracted and shared facilities used by Mohawk Valley organizations.

What would make the quantum opportunity real in the Mohawk Valley? If you work in technology, manufacturing, education or defense, tell us what training, facilities or business support the region needs. Please do not share classified, proprietary or security-sensitive information.

Sources: New York Governor’s Office; Quantum Technology Landscape Study, New York State; Empire State Development NYSTAR.