This is the first of a series of two papers in which we present a solution to Manin's Real Multiplication program -- an approach to Hilbert's 12th problem for real quadratic extensions of $\mathbb{Q}$ -- in positive characteristic, using quantum analogs of the exponential function and the modular invariant. In this first paper, we treat the problem of Hilbert class field generation... If $k=\mathbb{F}_{q}(T)$ and $k_{\infty}$ is the analytic completion of $k$, we introduce the quantum modular invariant \[ j^{\rm qt}: k_{\infty}\multimap k_{\infty}\] as a multivalued, modular invariant function. Then if $K=k(f)\subset k_{\infty}$ is a real quadratic extension of $k$ where $f$ is a quadratic unit, we show that the Hilbert class field $H_{\mathcal{O}_{K}}$ (associated to $\mathcal{O}_{K}=$ integral closure of $\mathbb{F}_{q}[T]$ in $K$) is generated over $K$ by the product of the multivalues of $j^{\rm qt}(f)$. (read more)