The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) is a planned 128-acre technology campus on the site of the former U.S. Steel South Works on the south side of Chicago. It will focus on quantum computing and is not an AI data center.
Plans for the IQMP are part of the larger âÂÂQuantum Shore Chicagoâ redevelopment of the former U.S. Steel South Works site, a long-vacant industrial area in ChicagoâÂÂs South Shore neighborhood. The broader project is expected to include advanced manufacturing facilities, research centers, housing, and a replacement hospital, with an initial phase estimated at about $9 billion in investment.
The overall park is expected to cost $9 billion to construct. Work is expected to begin in 2026 and be complete in 2028.
PsiQuantum of Palo Alto, California has been announced as the anchor tenant of the IQMP, PsiQuantum intends to build and deploy AmericaâÂÂs first million-qubit scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Other tenants include the DARPA-Illinois Quantum Proving Ground, IBM, Diraq, Quantum Machines, and Infleqtion. French quantum computing company Pasqal will invest more than $65 million to build its U.S. headquarters there.
President of Cook County Board of Commissioners Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site on September 30, 2025.
Friends of the Parks, ETHOS and Alliance of the Southeast organized to request a community benefits agreement for the development of the quantum campus, asking that 25% of full-time employees hired in the first three years are residents of the surrounding area.
The proposal has generated local debate, with some community groups expressing concerns about potential gentrification, environmental cleanup risks, and the availability of jobs for nearby residents, while supporters argue the development could help reverse decades of economic decline in the area.