NAVFAC Southwest Delivers State-of-the-Art Quantum Information Technologies Lab to NIWC Pacific, Highlighting Strong Partnership

SAN DIEGO—Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southwest celebrated the successful delivery of the new Quantum Information Technologies (QIT) Lab at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific with an official ribboncutting, July1 in Naval Base Point Loma.

The completion of the 3,300-square-foot facilityrepresentsa major achievement in naval facilities modernization and underscores the vital partnership between NAVFAC’s Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (ROICC) and the scientific end users.

"This project is a testament to the incredible synergy between our construction management team, our contractor partners, and the brilliant minds at NIWC Pacific," said NAVFAC SouthwestROICCDetachment Point LomaDirector Lt. Cmdr. Viaronic Snow-Hill. "To enable research at the quantum level, the construction requirements were highly specialized and completely unforgiving. Delivering this facility required constant, tight-knit collaboration to ensure the final product met the exact needs of the mission."

The QIT Lab is designed to house researchers exploiting quantum phenomena for Information Warfare applications. The delicate nature of quantum measurements demanded strict structural and environmental construction standards. Through close coordination, the ROICC office successfully integrated several complex structural features that directly enables NIWC Pacific’s cross-competency research in areas such as physics-based encryption, quantum-based navigation, and post-quantum cryptography.

Structural features executed in the project construction included advanced electrical grounding and power controls wherespecialized electrical grounding provides 5-ohm resistance or less forhighly sensitiveequipment, and ample phase power to concurrently run dilution fridges, high-powered lasers, and spectrometers.Structural support includedanti-static concrete flooring designed to reduce electrical discharge while supporting optical tables weighing over 1,100 pounds.Precision climate and contamination control measures are provided bynon-particulate ceiling tiles to protect sensitive optics and chip-scale devices, coupled with precision temperature and humidity control.Electrical noise is managed froma dedicated utilities room which isolates noisy support equipment from centralized air, water, and gas outlets.

"Seeing this project through from award to today's ribbon cutting has been a phenomenal journey," added Snow-Hill. “This building is more than just walls and wires; it is a meticulously engineered tool that will help advance the technology our scientists and engineers rely on for national defense."

The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured an open house, facility tours, and remarks from key leaders across the enterprise. NAVFAC Southwest awarded the construction work to Dimensions Construction Inc.

NAVFAC Southwest supports planning, design, construction, real estate, environmental and public works in the Southwest region and in various locations within the INDOPACOM theater to include Southern Australia. NAVFAC Southwest’s area of responsibility spans a six-state region covering California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. It manages facility life-cycle operations and contracting, supporting 19 installations across the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and other supported federal agencies.

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