Based in Chicago, the nation's quantum hub.
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. There is a broad and diverse industry base with more than 30 Fortune 500 companies, including manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, transportation and logistics, and financial tech and other industries where quantum science will have an impact.
The vibrant quantum science ecosystem in Chicago—and across the state of Illinois—has seen tremendous momentum and investment in recent years. In 2019, Governor J.B. 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. In July 2020, officials from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to build a national quantum internet. The following month, the DOE 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. Additionally, one of the three National Science Foundation (NSF) quantum leap challenge institutes in the U.S. is led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Duality startups become immersed in Chicago's quantum community, connecting with experts across academia, industry, and government. Cohort participants have the opportunity to gain critical business resources to accelerate their technology development as well as opportunities to access state-of-the-art computing, materials processing, quantum measurement and other resources, subject to approval by the relevant facility, and compliance with its policies and procedures.
Below is a list of facilities and resources at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. For more detailed information about accessing the Argonne facilities, please visit this Engaging with Argonne National Laboratory FAQ page.