Governor Pritzker at Quantum World Congress: Illinois Advances Bold Investments in Quantum Innovation as Part of Global Coalition
From IQMP to public-private partnerships, Illinois demonstrates how state leadership can strengthen the global quantum ecosystem
Today, at Quantum World Congress, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delivered a keynote address blending humor, vision, and a clear message: quantum progress is accelerating, but it will succeed only through inclusive, global collaboration.
“I knew I had become the nerdiest governor in the country when I stopped a block party cold by bragging about a million-qubit quantum computer,” Pritzker joked. “My neighbors went back to their cocktails — so here I am with people even nerdier than me.”
Investing in a Quantum Future
Since 2019, Illinois has pursued a carefully crafted roadmap for quantum development. The centerpiece is the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP) — a first-of-its-kind campus designed not for a single university, but to bring together many partners in a shared, collaborative environment. The park will house advanced cryogenic facilities, vibration-isolated labs, and space for Fortune 500s, startups, federal agencies, and researchers from around the world.
Illinois’s Quantum Assets
Governor Pritzker emphasized the strength of Illinois’s institutions and ecosystem:
The University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s engineering and AI labs
Northwestern University’s Institute for Quantum Information Research and Engineering
Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab
Duality, the nation’s first quantum startup accelerator
New facilities like Hyde Park Labs and the Chicago Science Incubator
Together, these assets create fertile ground for discovery, commercialization, and workforce training.
Partnerships and Impact
IQMP has already announced major anchor tenants and partnerships: DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative and Quantum Proving Ground, IBM’s national quantum algorithm center, Infleqtion’s neutral atom system, PsiQuantum’s photonic approach, and Diraq’s silicon-based advances. These efforts are backed by significant state and federal investment.
Governor Pritzker also stressed the real-world stakes: unhackable cybersecurity, new pharmaceutical cures, nanomaterial breakthroughs, advanced microelectronics, and climate monitoring systems. “These technological developments,” he said, “have the potential to bring untold prosperity and security.”
A Global Vision
Quoting Wayne Gretzky — “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it’s been” — Pritzker framed Illinois’s quantum work as part of a broader movement. He called quantum “a 20-year overnight success,” noting that each breakthrough builds on decades of research and collaboration.
Crucially, he emphasized inclusivity: quantum must not benefit only wealthy nations or the privileged few. True progress will come only through sustained global collaboration and public-private partnership.
Looking Ahead
Governor Pritzker closed with an invitation — not for Illinois alone, but for all partners to keep building together: “Science and technology must serve the betterment of all humanity. Let’s not falter in our mission.”