A long-vacant former steel plant on Chicago’s struggling southeast side will be transformed into a multibillion-dollar, 440-acre quantum computing campus, with local Clayco serving as the general contractor for the phase initial.
The first anchor tenant is PsiQuantum, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based quantum computing company that is set to build the first utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer in the US, according to a company statement. PsiQuantum will occupy the south side of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park that borders the shore of Lake Michigan. Its computer operations center will occupy more than 300,000 square feet and will include additional space for future expansion.
Formerly the US Steel South Works plant, the property has been vacant for 30 years. At 120 contiguous acres, the planned campus will be one of the largest contiguous waterfront properties in the country, according to Clayco.
Related Midwest and CRG are co-developers of the site, and Lamar Johnson Collaborative is the lead designer for the first phase.
The quantum computer will need around 1 million qubits, a number needed to reach the critical threshold for quantum error correction, and which will allow very precise answers to computational problems that can never be solved with conventional computers. Illinois industries such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy, materials, financial services and manufacturing will benefit from these quantum computing capabilities, PsiQuantum said.
Conor Tighe, vice president of preconstruction management at Clayco, said traditional data centers rely on an infrastructure of complex and redundant electrical systems with supporting HVAC systems to manage the heat gain generated by the racks.
Cooling supply will also be a challenge for the quantum computing center.
“Quantum computing infrastructure requires a cryogenic plant that supplies liquid helium at a temperature close to absolute zero to support the process required in the quantum chip architecture,” said Tighe. “The design, BIM and commissioning of the liquid helium supply and return will drive the overall success of the project.”
The project has won state support in Illinois’ fiscal year 2025 state budget, which includes $500 million for park development. This figure includes $200 million for the construction of a cryogenic plant to meet the cooling needs of PsiQuantum and other potential users.
“Right here, beneath our feet will be a catalyst for a potential revolution in science and technology for the betterment of life,” Gov. JB Pritzker said at a July 25 press conference at the site.
“Quantum computers have held theoretical promise for decades, but it’s infrastructure projects like Illinois Quantum and the Microelectronics Park that are needed to develop this technology and scale it from hype to reality,” said Jeremy O’Brien, CEO and co-founder of PsiQuantum.
Cook County is giving the campus $5 million and a new property tax incentive program. “Other countries, especially China, have made significant investments in quantum, and we need to accelerate our efforts to catch up,” said County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
PsiQuantum is also building a $620 million scale fault-tolerant quantum computer in Brisbane, Australia, which was announced in April.
