Palo Alto-based startup PsiQuantum is coming to Chicago to build and operate quantum computers—bringing as many as 150 jobs in the next five years and anchoring a massive quantum campus to be built at the former U.S. Steel South Works plant on Chicago’s South Side, the company announced July 25.
PsiQuantum is aiming to build the first U.S.-based, utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer; it will construct a 300,000-square-foot Quantum Computer Operations Center on the long-empty industrial site near the mouth of the Calumet River. That campus, known as the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, will also include the multimillion-dollar Illinois-DARPA Quantum Proving Ground that was announced July 16.
PsiQuantum is a corporate partner of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a hub that connects leading universities, national labs, and industry partners to advance quantum technology and is based at the University of Chicago.
“Considering the endless potential quantum computing technology holds, it is crucial that we commit to quantum partnerships, research, and infrastructure across our nation,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said Thursday. “In Illinois, we’re leading the charge with this first-of-its-kind quantum park to unite stakeholders, experts, and future generations of quantum leaders. I’m grateful that PsiQuantum will be our anchor tenant as we launch this exciting collaboration to create the jobs of the future, and PsiQuantum choosing Chicago cements our status as a global hub for quantum computing.”
"When economists study healthy innovation ecosystems, they find that at the core there are always a combination of great research institutions and universities," said University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos at the Thursday news conference. "By working together, we can do this with PsiQuantum, and we can do even more to build out the ecosystem that is all around us."
Launched in 2017 as an intellectual hub for the science and engineering of quantum information, the CQE has played a critical role in connecting academic, industry, and government partners to advance research, build the future quantum workforce, and develop a robust, inclusive, and sustainable quantum economy.
“We are delighted to welcome CQE partner PsiQuantum to our vibrant region, and we look forward to their residency, and DARPA’s, on the new quantum campus on Chicago’s South Side,” said David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago and the director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange. “The quantum campus is an example of what an ecosystem can achieve with solid government support and a culture of collaboration and partnership. The CQE has played a leading role in launching and developing this rich cross-sector community over the last decade, and it will continue to partner with industry leaders to integrate quantum technology into different sectors as technology advances.”
Pritzker has been a key champion of this effort, allocating $500 million for quantum technologies in the FY25 state budget. Much of that was earmarked for the campus, which will include shared cryogenic facilities, equipment labs, and research spaces for both private companies and universities.
PsiQuantum will partner with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Chicago, and Northwestern University — all CQE members and affiliates — to collaborate on research projects and explore opportunities to develop educational programs in quantum applications. Founded in 2015, PsiQuantum uses single particles of light, or photons, as the basis for its quantum computing technology, an approach it says enables it to leverage the existing reliability, volume, and precision of standard semiconductor manufacturing processes and cryogenic cooling technology.
“The UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering in partnership with PSD, and the University of Chicago as a whole are fully committed to pushing quantum forward and being a key link in Illinois’ booming quantum infrastructure,” said PME Dean Nadya Mason. “PME is the catalyst for quantum at UChicago, and we are proud to help lead this important work that will impact so much of our future.”
In 2015, PME became the first school of molecular engineering in the country—and the first to offer a Ph.D. in quantum engineering. The investment and research have only continued, and PME is investing in new faculty and additional state-of-the-art quantum laboratories to come online within the next five years.
Chicago also is home to the first accelerator program in the U.S. focused exclusively on supporting quantum innovation, Duality, which since 2021 has hosted 15 startups that have secured more than $20 million in private funding.
Building on impact
The Chicago region has already attracted more than $1 billion in government investment for quantum technologies in recent years, including the half-billion FY2025 Illinois budget allocation and a previously announced $200 million for quantum technology facilities. In addition, Pritzker recently announced a business development package that includes quantum tax incentives. The Chicago area also received $280 million for four of the 10 National Quantum Initiative Act research centers, more than any other region. The CQE community has also attracted significant corporate investment, including $100 million from IBM and $50 million from Google to the University of Chicago and University of Tokyo in two separate plans to advance quantum computing.
Last week, Pritzker and federal officials announced that the State of Illinois had partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — a U.S. Defense Department agency that invests in breakthrough technologies for national security — on a quantum proving ground that will also reside on the quantum campus.
The campus is expected to offer a significant economic boost to the South Chicago neighborhood — and it is projected to create thousands of jobs and generate up to $60 billion in economic impact.
“PsiQuantum’s investment in the City of Chicago is a groundbreaking leap into the future, making our city the proud home of America’s first utility-scale quantum computer,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “This monumental project will revolutionize the fields of medicine and clean energy, creating countless jobs and driving economic growth. Together, we are ushering in a new era of innovation, equity, and sustainability for the South Side, solidifying Chicago’s place as a global hub for technological advancement.”
The CQE, which is based at UChicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, includes seven member institutions — the University of Chicago, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwestern University, and Purdue University — and about 50 corporate, international, nonprofit, and regional partners. The CQE also leads two projects aimed at strengthening the regional quantum ecosystem: The Bloch Quantum Tech Hub and the NSF Engine Development Award: Advancing quantum technologies in the Midwest.
—Adapted from an article first posted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
