The chipmaker NVIDIA held its annual conference in Silicon Valley this week. Among the major announcements: it chose Boston to be the site of its first-ever research center for quantum computing, opening later this year.

In theory, a quantum computer could perform calculations vastly more quickly than today’s conventional computers.

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) plans to launch a new quantum computing research facility in Boston, with operations scheduled to begin later in 2025. The center, named the Nvidia Accelerated Quantum Research Center (NVAQC),