- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that the site will be a second chapter for Nokia Bell Labs and the state
- The site in will be the helix for a new tech hub in the area
- Research will continue on Quantum computing at the Bell Labs
Nokia has broken ground on its new 10-story, 370,000-square foot Bell Labs site in New Brunswick, New Jersey, although it will be over two years before they'll move scientists and other staff into the building.
The state's governor Phil Murphy made an appearance and told a gaggle of reporters that the site was "a second chapter" for Nokia and Bell Labs in the state.
Nokia told Fierce that work had started on the site, called the "Helix," in July, but it held the ceremonial ground-breaking event on Thursday this week. The telecom vendor expects to complete construction and start moving staff in at the end of 2027 through 2028.
Nokia's research pipeline
Nokia Bell Labs Presidents Peter Vetter and Thierry Klein talked a little about the research that will take place at the new site once it is operational. Quantum computing will still be a major theme in 2028, Vetter note. He said that 6G research will largely be completed by that point since it is due to be in commercial operation by 2030.
A new tech hub
The New Brunswick railway station, which is minutes away from the Bell Labs, is also being revitalized as part of the construction. The Helix Bell Labs site is expected to be a key tech hub for the Garden State.
Nokia Bell Labs will move 1,000 staff over from its current Bell Labs Murray Hill site. Universities like Princeton and Rutgers will provide a pipeline of fresh scientists into the New Brunswick site from 2028.