Cold QCD physics program with sPHENIX

sPHENIX is a new detector fully instrumented with tracking and calorimetry (hadronic and electromagnetic) in the midrapidity region at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL. The detector is dedicated to measure a comprehensive set of jet, open heavy flavor and upsilon observables. Upon completion of construction in April 2023, sPHENIX has been commissioning and taking first data in the RHIC 2023 Heavy Ion Run. With the pp and pA Runs planned for the following years, sPHENIX provides great opportunities for studying the partonic structure and dynamics in nucleons and nuclei. The unique capability to collide polarized protons on protons/nuclei enables measurements sensitive to the polarized structure of the proton and nuclear effects with spin observables. In addition, excellent capabilities of jets and heavy flavor measurements open up new ways to study hadron formation in the complementary kinematic regions to LHC. This talk will present the prospects and readiness of the sPHENIX cold QCD program.