Nation’s Largest Quantum Computing Hub Breaks Ground at Former Chicago Steel Mill Site
Plans are advancing for construction of the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a 440-acre quantum innovation campus to be built on the long-vacant site of the former U.S. Steel South Works site on Chicago’s southeast side.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Sept. 30 for the first phase of IQMP which, when complete, is expected to be the largest concentration of
quantum computing activity in North America, according to IQMP.
Clayco is the general contractor for the first phase which will occupy about 30 acres, and which was designed by Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LBC).
As ENR reported previously, the project was announced in July 2024 with PsiQuantum, a quantum computing company based in Palo Alto, Calif. as the anchor tenant. Since then, other tenants have signed on including IBM, which has announced plans to establish a National Quantum Algorithm Center in the park in partnership with the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The center will be the site of IBM’s next-generation quantum computer, IBM Quantum System Two.
Quantum computing seeks to harness the principles of quantum mechanics to tackle problems far faster than conventional computers, with experts predicting breakthroughs in medicine, energy, agriculture and other fields.
The first phase of construction will focus on infrastructure such as new roads, power systems, and
an 80,000-sq-ft building for PsiQuantum including offices, computing spaces, and a cryogenic environment, where
processors can operate at near absolute zero, making a planned $200 million-plus cryogenic plant essential for the ultra-cold conditions required for quantum computing. Built in three phases, with the first unit scheduled to come online next year, and the facility is expected to be the largest of its kind in the U.S.
The cryoplant is designed to serve multiple companies, sparing them the cost of constructing their own, and essentially is a massive helium-powered refrigeration system.
“The quantum computing infrastructure requires a cryogenics plant supplying
liquid helium at a temperature near absolute zero to support the process
required in quantum chip architecture,” said Conor Tighe vice president of preconstruction management at Clayco previous. “The design, BIM
and commission of the liquid helium supply and return will drive overall
project success.”
Related Midwest and CRG are co-developers of the site that has been unused since U.S. Steel’s South Works plant closed in 1992.
“We are not only remaking a vacant site, we are rebuilding an economic engine for the future and investing in the people on the southeast side,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson at the groundbreaking.
The redevelopment plan is drawing concerns from nearby residents who, as part of a Coalition for South Worls CBA, are seeking a community benefits agreement, which calls for a range of items including site remediation and construction protections to shield residents against exposure to existing brownfield toxins, access to, preservation of, and investment into adjoining Chicago public parks, protections for wildlife and natural habitats encompassing the land, including mitigating the impact of soil contamination, the prevention of air, water, light, and noise pollution, parity in tax relief that Related Midwest received: 15% tax reduction for surrounding communities for 30 years and formation of a credit union that local residents can access capital for home improvements, loans and repairs.
The project is bolstered by a $500 million investment from the state.
“We want to see a CBA that’s a four-legged stool,” said resident Anne Holcomb. “We want to see environmental justice, we want to see jobs, we want to see housing and we want to see education. Because our tax dollars are funding this—so we should get something for our tax money.”
“We are not going to just be their neighbors. This is our front yard. These are our parks. This is our land, so let’s do it right,” she added.
The first phase of the project is slated for completion in 2027.
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