The North West just got cooler: The new cryogenic lab powering the region's transformation into a global quantum hub

The £51m government investment in the new National Cryogenic Facility at Daresbury feels like a real milestone for the North West, and is particularly exciting if (like me) you have a background in physics. The facility will operate at 2–20 Kelvin, boosting the UK’s cryogenic testing capacity by around six‑fold. 

 

What’s even more exciting is how this fits into the broader wave of growth happening across the North West region. PsiQuantum choosing Daresbury for its first R&D base outside the US shows that the North West is becoming a serious player in quantum computing. The company now has access to 100× more cooling power than before, speeding up their push toward fault‑tolerant, commercially useful quantum machines.

 

For someone who cares about seeing high‑value STEM jobs outside the Golden Triangle, this is exactly the kind of development I want to see more of. With quantum, healthcare, fusion and clean energy research all set to benefit from the new facility, the region’s scientific and economic potential is growing, and I’m genuinely excited to be working in this space as it accelerates.