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

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.

The Nvidia Accelerated Quantum Research Center, or NVAQC, will pave the way for “accelerated quantum supercomputing,” the company said. Nvidia isn’t the first to propose mer