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CHICAGO (WLS) — A lakeshore at the south end has been selected as the future home of a new quantum computing campus.
It will be on what was long unoccupied in the former U. S. Steel South Works, next to 87th Street and South DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Company officials chose the closed Far South Side site, rather than a former Texaco refinery in the southwestern suburbs of Lockport.
“PsiQuantum’s investment in the city of Chicago is an innovative step into the future, making our city the proud home of the United States’ first large-scale quantum computer,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “This monumental task will revolutionize the fields of medicine and blank energy, creating countless jobs and spurring economic growth. Together, we are ushering in a new era of innovation, equity and sustainability for the South Side, solidifying Chicago’s position as a global hub for technological advancement. “
A rendering of what the Silicon Valley tech startup’s PsiQuantum facility will look like has been released.
RELATED: Illinois Announces New $140 Million Federal Investment for Quantum Computing Research
Officials say the multimillion-dollar facility will span about 300,000 square feet and employ up to 150 more people within five years.
PsiQuantum has announced plans to anchor the Illinois New Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), which runs within the state’s quantum ecosystem, which includes the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the University of Chicago, the Chicago Quantum Exchange, Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories and DARPA, the U. S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency. and others.
The Illinois state budget for fiscal year 2025 committed $500 million to advance Quantum Park, PsiQuantum reported.
The city of Chicago has invested $5 million in its Housing and Economic Development Bonds.
Gov. J. B. Pritzker and Johnson spoke about Thursday afternoon.
“Given the infinite perspectives of quantum computing technology, we have interaction in partnerships, research, and quantum infrastructure across our country. In Illinois, we’re leading the pace with this first-of-its-kind quantum park to bring stakeholders together. , experts, and generations of long-term quantum leaders. I am grateful that PsiQuantum will be our anchor tenant as we launch this exciting collaboration to create long-term jobs, and Chicago’s choice of PsiQuantum solidifies our prestige as a global hub for quantum computing. ,” Pritzker said in a statement.
So far, the generation has largely focused on development.
Local officials say the cost of the quantum campus is estimated at $9 billion, although it could generate about $20 billion over the next 10 years.
“This is the long term we are entering today and we are all incredibly proud of it,” said the president of the University of Urbana-Champaign.
Advocates were unclear about any potential environmental impacts the campus might have and did not specify whether the existing site was contaminated.
But local network activist A. Anne Holcomb has her thoughts and is convinced by the promises made to the network and its residents.
“We work in a network to obtain benefits; We protect the environment. We perform tasks. We conduct training,” Holcomb said.
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