The Quantum Century Begins Right Here in Illinois

Written by Harley Johnson, Director and CEO, Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park

Last week we celebrated World Quantum Day, and in 2025 we mark 100 years of quantum history, an opportunity to recognize the enormous scientific contributions that quantum researchers have made so far and uplift the revolutionary progress still to come in this field. Perhaps the most exciting truth about this centennial celebration — officially recognized by the United Nations as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology — is that we’re still only at the beginning of unlocking this technology’s potential.

The next 100 years of quantum innovation are just taking shape, and Illinois is poised to lead the way. From cutting-edge research at our world-class universities and national laboratories to the groundbreaking development of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), our state is positioned not just to participate in the quantum future, but to create it.

So much of Illinois’ history is defined by taking on seemingly impossible challenges and changing the world in the process. For many families, the U.S. Steel South Works site, the future home of the IQMP, was a lifeblood of the local community and its economy. At its peak, over 20,000 people worked at the site, forging the steel that quite literally built Chicago, from the iconic X-braces of the Hancock Building to the once world-record-breaking tubular steel frame of the Willis Tower. A site with so much history deserves an equally groundbreaking replacement, and that’s what we’re building with the IQMP.

This isn’t the first time our state has been on the brink of scientific revolution. In 1947, John Bardeen, who would later become a professor at the University of Illinois, co-developed the transistor, along with Walter Brattain and William Shockley, ushering in a new era for modern electronics and earning them a Nobel Prize in Physics. Distinguished UIUC alumnus Jack Kilby created the first integrated circuit in 1958, an essential piece of technology in the Apollo 11 mission that put man on the Moon.   Bardeen later won a second Nobel Prize for his theory of superconductivity, paving the way for many of the quantum computers of tomorrow.

With these discoveries, Illinoisans stood at the center of the burgeoning microelectronics industry, but the truth is, we missed out on our chance to truly lead. Silicon Valley became the nation’s (and the world’s) center of innovation for microelectronics and the related technology that followed. And as Silicon Valley grew, Illinois lost out — on jobs, investment and talent as some of our state’s brightest minds flocked to the emerging tech hub.

We won’t let history repeat itself. When the IQMP breaks ground this year, it will mark a transformational chance to reinvest in South Chicago after decades of broken promises and unrealized potential, and to establish our state as the global center for quantum.

Silicon and steel are an essential part of our state’s past, but quantum is the future. With the Park, we’re not just advancing technology. We’re reclaiming a piece of our industrial past and turning it into something profoundly new. We’re building on our existing ecosystem to ensure Illinois remains a global center for discovery, talent and opportunity for generations to come.

What makes this project powerful isn’t just the science. It’s the people and partnerships behind it. Illinois has everything it takes to lead in quantum. We have the talent: institutions like the University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermilab are all world-class leaders in quantum and microelectronics research. We also have one of the country’s largest community college systems, and our institutes of higher education award tens of thousands of degrees and certificates annually in quantum-relevant fields. We have the infrastructure: a 124-mile quantum network, regional transportation access, world-renowned supercomputing facilities and four of the ten Department of Energy and National Science Foundation Quantum Centers funded through the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act. And we have a collaborative culture that sets us apart. The Chicago Quantum Exchange is one of the largest quantum consortia in the world. Duality, the nation’s first quantum startup accelerator, was born right here. Our public and private sectors work together under the leadership of Governor JB Pritzker, not in silos. That’s exactly what building a new industry demands.

A century ago, quantum science permanently altered our understanding of the world around us as scientists discovered how matter and energy behave at the most fundamental level. As we recognize World Quantum Day this week, I feel immense pride; not just in what we’ve built, but in where we’re headed. Because the next 100 years of quantum technology — and all the possibilities it holds — will be built right here in Illinois.