On October 25, 2024, Science Minister Lord Vallance officially opened the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. The 4,000-square-meter facility, part of UK Research and Innovation, will house 12 quantum computers based on different hardware architectures with open access for industry, academia, and the public sector, according to The Quantum Insider.
More than 70 staff will be based at the facility. The NQCC also hosts the world’s first dedicated quantum apprenticeship programme, 30 PhD studentships, summer placements, and industry crash courses. Unlike many global counterparts, the NQCC’s systems are not restricted to government ownership or use.
Construction of the purpose-built facility at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory began in September 2021. The NQCC is jointly delivered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Science and Technology Facilities Council within UKRI, with core funding from EPSRC. It forms a key element of the £1 billion National Quantum Technologies Programme.