Illinois: A Quantum Hub

Based in Chicago, Illinois: A global hub for quantum.

With a highly skilled talent base emerging from its world-class universities and state-of-the-art research and lab facilities, Chicago has the infrastructure to drive the future of quantum information science and engineering. Its broad and diverse industry base, with more than 30 Fortune 500 companies, includes numerous industries where quantum science will have an impact, such as manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, transportation and logistics, and financial tech.

The quantum science ecosystem in Chicago—and the state of Illinois—has seen tremendous momentum and investment in recent years, which is why quantum companies from around the world are setting up their headquarters in Chicago. Duality companies become immersed in Chicago’s quantum community, connecting with experts across academia, industry, and government.

• In 2019, Governor JB Pritzker committed $200 million to establish Chicago as the world’s leading quantum hub.
• In 2020, scientists from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago launched a 52-mile “quantum loop” that was among the longest ground-based quantum communication channels in the country.
• Also in 2020, the US Department of Energy announced that two of the five federally funded quantum information science research centers would be based in the greater Chicago area—including one led by Argonne National Laboratory and one led by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
• One of the three National Science Foundation (NSF) quantum leap challenge institutes in the US is led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
• The NSF awarded $25 million to set up the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Sensing for Biophysics and Bioengineering (QuBBE) in Chicago, led by the University of Chicago, Chicago State University, the University of Illinois Chicago, and Harvard University.

“The sheer potential of quantum to transform the way so many sectors operate has been matched at only a few points in human history, and Illinois’ advantages in the quantum revolution have already centered our state as a leader. Illinois has the world’s foremost quantum scientists, experts, and leaders as well as a diverse and formidable network of some of the world’s best educational institutions. We have two national laboratories, more than 100 tech incubators and accelerators, and world-class research universities with global leadership in business, engineering, and the sciences.”

—JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois