Chicago Media Reporting PsiQuantum Considering Two Sites For Quantum Computing Manufacturing Plant

Insider Brief

• Chicago media are reporting that PsiQuantum is interested in building a quantum computing manufacturing facility in the city.
• Reporters say the project seems to be focused on two cites — a former steel manufacturing site and a facility that was once an oil refinery.
• Both sites would require extensive clean-up, but a successful project could lead to at least 1,000 news jobs, the journalists report.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, in collaboration with PsiQuantum, a Palo Alto, California-based company, has set sights on Chicago as the new hub for a quantum computing facility, according to Chicago media. City and company officials appear to be focusing on two sites — former industrial complexes– in the city specifically.

In an editorial in The Chicago Sun-Times, city officials say they are hoping the initiative breathes new life into the long-dormant former U.S. Steel South Works site in South Chicago and a second facility in an old Texaco refinery in Lockport. According to Crain’s Business Chicago reporters, those sites may require extensive clean-up.

Because the advanced nature and unique needs of these computers — often requiring conditions that are super-cold and near absolute zero to operate error-free, the initiative in Chicago would require not just a massive construction effort, but a construction effort aimed at creating specialized facilities, the editors write. The proposed projects in South Works and Lockport aim to fulfill this need, heralding a new era in computational science and technology.

The choice of the South Works site, a 500-acre lakefront tract that has seen various redevelopment plans come and go since the steel mill’s closure three decades ago, is particularly poignant, pointing toward the old industrial age being replaced by a new deep-tech era.

“It’s 440 acres of this beautiful lakefront property, but it’s very contaminated soil with its industrial history. And so it’s been a puzzle to figure out what to do with it,” Crain’s Chicago Business senior reporter John Pletz told Amy Guth in a podcast, adding, “The key to both sites is one, they’re big, but two, they have the power and water that is necessary for this project. Quantum computers run at very cold temperatures. So to operate them, you’re talking just slightly above near zero to make that happen? A lot of power and a lot of water.”

He said that both operating — and making quantum computers — require unique needs. “If you’re creating semiconductors or sensors of any kind, you need a lot of power, and water,” said Pletz. “Add to that, that you also need these mini super refrigerators. And that’s also going to require a lot of power and water.” ”

The University of Chicago’s reputation as a center for quantum computing development further cements the city’s status as a burgeoning hub for this revolutionary technology, according the Chicago Sun Times. The potential creation of over 1,000 jobs, as reported by Crain’s Chicago Business, could significantly impact the local economy, offering new opportunities in a cutting-edge field.

“In the case of South Works, you know, an opportunity to bring, you know, hundreds perhaps more than 1000 jobs to a neighborhood that certainly could use more jobs and more investment,” Danny Ecker, real estate reporter for Crain’s Chicago Business told Guth. He added, “Chicago has a deep history with industrial properties that have moved on past that purpose… there are real reasons to want to take on these sites and find more modern uses for them.”

The newspaper editors are worried that the plan may not be realized because other projects have failed. Past endeavors have failed to transform this area, with ambitious projects like the Chicago Lakeside development falling through.

They write: “Chicago Lakeside, which won city approval in 2010, promised a city-within-a-city of 13,000 residences, divided between homes and high-rise towers. A staggering 17 million square feet of retail was also planned, along with a high school, a marina, new parks and an extension of U.S. 41/Lake Shore Drive through the site. The entire deal went belly-up a few years later, as did a later plan under different developers to build a neighborhood of 20,000 homes there.”

Public interest and support could be pivotal in ensuring the project’s success, especially if public subsidies are sought.

“Governor Pritzker has, since he’s been elected, sees quantum as a real opportunity… And one of the first things he did when he got in office was commit 200 million from a huge multibillion dollar capital budget to invest in quantum,” said Pletz.

The newspaper adds that the project is tentative. The South Works site’s environmental concerns, including the need to address the toxic waste from its steel-making past, underscore the complexities of turning this ambitious vision into reality. Details on the initiative remains scarce and the governor’s office, PsiQuantum, and Related Midwest, the possible developer of the South Works site, have not answered media questions.