Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s goal of making Illinois “the Silicon Valley of quantum development” took a major leap forward Thursday with the announcement of the 128-acre Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park at the former U.S. Steel South Works plant.
The campus will be anchored by PsiQuantum, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company that announced Thursday morning plans to build the nation’s first commercially useful quantum computer at the site.
The site is expected to have an economic impact of $20 billion over the next decade and create thousands of jobs in quantum computing and related fields. It will also breathe new life into the former South Works facility, which has been vacant since it closed 30 years ago.
“It’s a leap of faith, in many ways,” Pritzker said. “The General Assembly understood that we had a great opportunity, but they also knew that an investment like this could be revolutionary. And it was an important and timely thing to do now. They really stepped up to the plate.”
Pritzker’s 2025 budget allocated $500 million in public investments to help fund quantum research. Of that, $300 million will go toward building the South Works campus.
The city of Chicago also allocated $5 million from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.5 billion housing and economic development bond.
Cook County will contribute an additional $5 million to create the park, said Toni Preckwinkle, chairwoman of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. It is also working with the city on a new property tax abatement program. Through that program, the Quantum Campus could be certified for Class 8 MICRO property tax incentives, reducing assessment levels from the standard 25 percent for industrial properties to 10 percent for 30 years with no renewal period.
“This is a collective effort that has allowed all of us to not only believe in the potential of this project, but also to commit time and investment,” Pritzker said. “It’s a powerful testament to what we can accomplish for Illinois, for the country and for the world when we all pull together.”
Ready by 2027
Midwest President Curt Bailey said the rest of the 400-acre campus — with the exception of the 128-acre park — will likely focus on innovation and technology.
He expects Related to complete three to four buildings after PsiQuantum moves in and says interest in the park is already booming.
“There have been a lot of people, mostly discussions with the state,” Bailey said.
The Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park will be the first development project on the 400-acre property at 8080 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. It will be located on the south end of the former South Works site.
The first phase is expected to be completed in 2027.
The PsiQuantum facility will be jointly developed by real estate firm CRG and Related Midwest. Lamar Johnson Collaborative will design the first phase of the park, which will span 30 acres, and Clayco will be the general contractor.
The former South Works site has long been in trouble. Since the steel mill closed, several proposals to redevelop the property have been floated, including a new Solo Cup Co. plant and thousands of homes. But environmental concerns about the site have contributed to the abandonment of various redevelopment plans over the years.
Preckwinkle said the quantum park is a “real, tangible, transformative plan” and marks a historic moment for the South Chicago neighborhood.
“Today’s historic announcement reflects an important commitment by state and local officials to a neighborhood, a community of color, that has long been marginalized and in need of real investment,” she said.
Johnson said he is “here to revitalize” the community and plans to connect residents to the thousands of new jobs that will be generated on campus.
The campus also brings together the “best and brightest” in Illinois, said PsiQuantum CEO and co-founder Jeremy O’Brien.
Jeremy O’Brien, CEO of PsiQuantum
“This quantum computer will change the way the world lives, works and heals. And it will be built right here in Chicago,” O’Brien said. “Today, we stand on the threshold of a new era, one that promises cleaner skies and seas, faster development of life-saving drugs and advances we can only imagine. We look forward to working hard and doing it with all of you here.”
The park will be managed by the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Harley Johnson, associate dean of research and Grainger founding professor, will be the project’s first director.
The University of Chicago, the Chicago Quantum Exchange, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency are among the groups that will benefit from the quantum campus.
Brian DeMarco, a professor of physics at Grainger Engineering and director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center, will lead the administration of the DARPA Quantum Proving Ground and the development of a first-of-its-kind cryogenic facility.
Pritzker announced last week that DARPA would establish a program to test quantum computing prototypes.
Concerns about impact on neighborhood
While city, county and state leaders have hailed the campus as a “powerful testament” to what their combined efforts can accomplish, some neighbors have expressed concerns about the project.
Johnson’s office said the site has received environmental development approval, but the city “will work closely with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to address any unforeseen remediation requirements and meet applicable regulatory standards.”
But some residents are calling for an environmental impact assessment and a possible community benefits agreement. Among the voices pushing for such an agreement is the Southeast Alliance, an interfaith coalition of churches, schools, businesses and community organizations.
The alliance said in a news release that it was “concerned that the facility’s cooling systems could potentially release hot water into Lake Michigan, promoting the growth of harmful algae and toxins.” And that could negatively impact aquatic life as well as the city’s drinking water.
“With this investment, we don’t want our communities to be left behind. We built the steel backbone of Chicago, we want to be included in its future,” Sam Corona, ASE community organizer and longtime Southeast Chicago resident, said in a statement.
Asked whether a community benefits agreement should be negotiated, Pritzker said he had “never heard that before,” but that all partners would do their part to ensure the park’s success.
“I can tell you that the community is already seeing a lot of benefits from the commitment that’s been made here,” he said. “The jobs, the cleanup of the site itself, the investment dollars… I think it provides great opportunities for the surrounding community.”
Rendering of PsiQuantum’s facility at the former South Works site, which will house the country’s first large-scale quantum computer.
This story has been updated to note that the correct name for the property tax abatement program is Class 8 MICRO, which would run for 30 years.