#texasquantuminstitute

Governor Abbott Grants UT Austin's New "QLab" $4.8 Million

Texas Quantum Institute

Governor Greg Abbott announced a $4.8 million grant to build a cutting-edge research facility at The University of Texas in Austin to boost Texas' high-tech manufacturing leadership. The Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) award will allow the Texas Quantum Institute (TQI) to create QLab, a quantum-enhanced semiconductor metrology lab.

This investment is a crucial step in Texas' aggressive aim to merge quantum research and microchip production to stay on the "new frontier of innovation." Sub-atomic accuracy is used by the QLab to solve the semiconductor industry's biggest problems.

Precision Science: Quantum-Enhanced Metrology

Metrology—the study of measurement and its numerous applications—is central to the new QLab. As microchips become increasingly complex, semiconductor manufacturers must measure materials and architectures at the atom and molecule level.

However, standard measurement tools are rapidly reaching their physical limits. The QLab aims to overcome these limitations by acquiring cutting-edge quantum sensor equipment. These cutting-edge equipment will allow researchers to discover defects and analyse material properties at the subatomic level with unprecedented precision.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has named metrology the “key enabling technology” for the semiconductor industry's future, according to TQI Co-director Elaine Li. By developing these technologies, UT Austin will help manufacturers make the most reliable and effective semiconductors.

A hub of academic-industrial collaboration

QLab was created through substantial collaboration between top-tier research organisations in the UT Austin ecosystem. The Texas Quantum Institute will manage the lab and collaborate with:

Microelectronic Research Centre

Texas Institute for Electronics

Texas Materials Institute

This cooperative framework aims to create a multifunctional centre for many stakeholders. The QLab will test innovative manufacturing methods for semiconductor businesses and the quantum industry in addition to scholarly study. TQI Co-director Xiuling Li says this investment provides “tremendous momentum” to drive discoveries that will shape the semiconductor and quantum sectors.

Economic Impact and Texas CHIPS Act

QLab received financing from Governor Abbott's 2023 Texas CHIPS Act. This law created the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund and Consortium to support state research, design, and production.

Texas invested $250 million in the TSIF in June 2025 to maintain its innovation leadership. The 4.8 million grant to UTAustin follows $1.98 million to Prairie View A&M University and $9.8 million to Temple College, demonstrating a strong statewide commitment in workforce development and technology infrastructure.

Senator Sarah Eckhardt noted that Central Texas has become a national semiconductor innovation centre and that these funds will benefit the local community. The QLab's growth and quantum technologies are expected to create thousands of well-paying sophisticated manufacturing jobs, placing the area in a position to benefit from industry shifts.

Texas' Global "Chip War" Position

The QLab affects more than Austin. Due to global demand for better medical devices, secure communications, and AI, quantum-enhanced sensors are essential.

Quantum computers need specialised chips to operate, yet quantum sensors are needed to improve classical chips. The state is putting itself at the centre of these two vital disciplines by hosting this expertise at UT Austin.

The Governor's Economic Development & Tourism Office's Texas CHIPS Office manages the TSIF, a measured counterbalance to federal investments. Texas universities should have the skills and expertise to lead the nation in the highly competitive global semiconductor business. The QLab's launch shows Texas' commitment to scientific excellence and “quantum leaps into the future”.

UT Austin's Cutting-Edge Research Aligns with Key National Priorities

University of Texas Quantum computing

Even as change accelerates in nearly every aspect of life, the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is a key player in leading the R&D areas that the federal government prioritizes to ensure the nation's continued prosperity and security. Today's findings are having a dramatic impact on the planet we will wake up to tomorrow.

UT A recent White House paper outlining federal R&D aims closely matched Austin's acknowledged research capabilities. University research and technical training are essential, and America's innovation ecosystem requires a unique partnership between the government, university, industry, and charity agencies, according to the memo. The federal government must priorities and ensure strategic public investment benefits.

UT Austin leads national security, energy dominance and exploration, essential and emerging technologies, health and biotechnology, and space exploration.

Innovation is Driven by Critical and Emerging Technologies UT Austin is leveraging several significant technology advantages to meet national demands, particularly in advanced computing and manufacturing.

The institution has long been a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) with initiatives including the Machine Learning Lab and the National Science Foundation's AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (IFML). In addition to developing robust AI governance frameworks for campus use, the Good Systems initiative critically emphasizes the ethical advancement of algorithms. Resources like Vista, an AI-focused supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Centre (TACC), which is home to some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, are employed in these programs.

In the past year, UT Austin has significantly strengthened its commitment to quantum information science and technology with the establishment of the Texas Quantum Institute. This funding recognizes the tremendous potential of quantum physics to benefit civilization through new computing systems, secure communications, energy-efficient electronics, and ultrasensitive sensors used for climate process observation and medical diagnostics.

UT researchers contribute significantly to quantum computing, error correction, and algorithms through partnerships with national labs, federal initiatives, and industry giants like IBM and Microsoft.

UT plays a significant role in the nation's Semiconductor and Microelectronics efforts by participating in CHIPS and Science Act projects and collaborating with partners such as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), TSMC, Samsung, and Intel. To accelerate research and development and workforce development, the university created the Texas Institute for Electronics, which is home to the Microelectronics Research Centre and focusses on advanced transistor design and nanofabrication.

In the framework of advanced manufacturing, the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering focusses on additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, and nanoscale manufacturing. UT also participates in the DARPA-led Next Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing (NGMM) program, which aims to create a national hub for advanced microelectronics production.

This project incorporates new features such as "digital twins" and 3D heterogeneous integration. The Texas robots Centre is a cross-departmental facility with applications ranging from medical and rehabilitation robots to military and manufacturing automation.

Energy Dominance and Exploration Leadership

UT Austin is a leader in energy, focusing its earnings on cutting-edge energy research as the flagship of the UT System, which holds the largest university endowment of oil and gas lands in the nation. The institution is combining traditional energy expertise with creative ideas to lead the way in carbon capture, renewable energy, and sustainable exploration.

In the area of nuclear energy, UT is quite active, including reactor technology, radiation applications, and computational modelling. One significant achievement is UT's involvement in the Natura MSR-1 molten salt reactor project, the first university-based molten salt research reactor to receive a building permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The institution is also using "digital twin" concepts virtual simulation models coupled with real reactor systems to improve reactor operation and testing.

Hydrogen energy, which deals with the clean production of hydrogen and its incorporation into larger systems, is another crucial field of study. UT researchers are researching "geologic hydrogen," which is produced either naturally or by stimulation from iron-rich rocks without emitting carbon dioxide. The HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub, situated along the Texas Gulf Coast, was founded by UT and is its main academic partner. Its goal is to become one of the country's leading centers for low-carbon hydrogen generation.

Defence and National Security Research

Through initiatives like the Strauss Centre for International Security and Law and the Clements Centre for National Security, UT unites experts in international affairs, cybersecurity, engineering, and policy.

The Texas Institute for Electronics, led by UT, has received a $840 million DARPA grant from the University's Applied Research Laboratories (ARL), enabling deep engagement in defense research. This initiative aims to create an open-access centre for microelectronics prototyping and 3D heterogeneous integration, specifically for defense systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), radar, and satellite imaging.

Reshoring advanced semiconductor manufacture for military purposes is a major national security advantage of joining the DARPA-led NGMM centre. U.S. Army and UT robotics programs include autonomous ground and aerial vehicles and human-in-the-loop adaptive learning.

Enhancing Biotech and Health

Close connections in medical, engineering, and biological sciences at UT Austin are advancing health and addressing global issues including cancer, emerging diseases, and biosecurity.

UT is beginning to transform its medical area into a premier academic medical facility as part of a massive healthcare drive. The University of Texas at Austin Medical Centre will get two new hospital buildings: a new speciality hospital maintained by UT Austin and a comprehensive cancer centre built and operated by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre.

MD Anderson's expansion into Austin, the nation's best cancer hospital, is being carried out in tandem with the Collaborative Accelerator for Transformative Research Endeavours, which seeks to integrate the unique research resources of both universities.

Space exploration frontier advancement

UT has led space exploration with industry, NASA, and international partners. Mission design, planning, and implementation at the Centre for Space Research are very innovative.