It’s “go time” for quantum innovation in Chicago.
The sun shone brightly along the Lake Michigan shoreline as the team behind the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) gathered to mark the start of construction of the state-of-the-art facility where anchor tenant PsiQuantum will build the first utility-scale, fault-tolerant, million-qubit quantum computer — breathing new life into a site that has sat vacant for more than 30 years.
Calling it “a historic day in Chicago,” Gov. JB Pritzker joined state and local officials, PsiQuantum, developer Related Midwest, business and community leaders, and IQMP partners as they grabbed shovels and turned over a new chapter for both Chicago’s South Side and the global quantum industry.
“Today we break ground on the IQMP, an unprecedented joint effort among government, business and academia to create jobs and economic opportunity. To make the United States and the west the quantum technology leaders of the world. . . all from right here on the South Side of Chicago,” Pritzker told the crowd gathered beneath a tent for the celebratory event.
The governor applauded PsiQuantum for remaining steadfast to see its vision becoming a reality and creating a burgeoning ecosystem with academia and national research labs to advance quantum technology in Illinois.
“For the residents of Chicago and the state of Illinois, this can be an engine of transformational economic growth,” Pritzker said. “With every new development in hardware or software we could support the underlying systems that our world relies on and improve quality of life exponentially. With every inch of progress, we bring ourselves a little bit closer to the seismic advancements that can change everything.”
PsiQuantum CEO Jeremy O’Brien (above) credited years of research, hard work and close partnership to be able to arrive at this moment but said more hard work lies ahead.
“Friends, it is here at the place where a U.S. Steel facility once made 1 million tons of steel a year that PsiQuantum will build our utility scale system in America,” O’Brien said. “If you think today is exciting – and it certainly is – just wait until quantum computers begin to change life as we know it for the better.”
Chicago was selected, in part, for its world-class academic institutions and proximity to national research laboratories Fermilab and Argonne. Dr. Harley Johnson, CEO of the IQMP, touted the advantages of building the Park in South Chicago and paid tribute to the generations of residents there who helped build the city and the nation.
“Today with the IQMP, we’re building on that legacy — not with smoke and steel but with clean technologies that hold the promise to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” Johnson said. “From the very beginning our goal has been clear: To build something that’s not only globally competitive but locally grounded.”
Since announcing the park, PsiQuantum and IQMP partners including Fermilab, Discovery Partners Institute, Chicago Quantum Exchange and others have worked with block clubs, schools and community leaders to ensure that the Park creates opportunities for residents and strengthens the fabric of South Chicago.
Johnson also acknowledged the IQMP Board of Managers.
“The IQMP Board of Managers represents one of the most diverse groupings of experts across universities and research institutions, business and civic leaders and government experts who are working collaboratively to see this historic project through from start to finish,” he said.
The IQMP will generate an estimated $100 million in new property taxes and $50 billion in investments across the region over the next 20 years, starting with a $300 million investment by Advocate Health to build a hospital at the northern end of the Park. IQMP partners are working closely with local educational institutions, labor unions and community organizations to develop targeted training programs to prepare residents for jobs in the emerging quantum field.
Priscilla Horton, principal of Bowen High School, encouraged all in attendance to commit to getting young people across the region excited about a quantum future and being a part of the quantum workforce. She applauded the outreach by IQMP partners such as PsiQuantum, which earlier this year invested $10,000 in Bowen High to equip students with the technology and tools powering the quantum jobs of tomorrow.
“If I’m a high school student and see new businesses not only putting stakes in my community, but investing in education and resources, I can only draw one conclusion — I belong in these spaces,” Horton said. “That’s a message I want to make sure we’re saying to our children. That they belong in all of these spaces. Not years from now, but at its inception.”
Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest, the Park’s developer, described the IQMP as “an economic engine for the entire South Side,” and said building a strong partnership with the community is Job One.
“We are profoundly grateful for the many community organizations and leaders who stand with us on this effort,” Bailey said. “Your voice and vision is critical to ensuring Quantum Shore truly benefits the neighborhoods we serve.”
That is a day that lifelong South Chicagoan Jorge Perez, who grew up in the Bush community, has been looking forward to for years. His father worked at the Southworks plant. After it closed in 1992, he was transferred to the U.S. Steel facility in Gary, Indiana, to complete a 43-year career as a union steelworker.
Perez shared he had been hoping to see the former U.S. Steel site revitalized for 33 years.
“After so many fits and stalls, it was faith in myself and this community that one day something would happen here,” said Perez, who runs a take-out restaurant called Chico’s Oven in the same building where his parents ran a grocery store and bakery for 28 years. He served “quantum donuts” at the groundbreaking event. Perez, his wife, and two sons proudly grabbed shovels at the site and moved some dirt.
“I want you to join me in welcoming the world to South Chicago,” Perez told the crowd. “When I would tell people I’m from Bush, most had no idea where that was. That is going to change now.”
