Insider Brief
- French quantum computing company Pasqal will invest more than $65 million to build its U.S. headquarters at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on Chicago’s South Side, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
- The facility will develop neutral-atom quantum computers, create at least 50 jobs, and receive about $21 million in combined state incentives and loans through Illinois’ Manufacturing Chips for Real Opportunity Act and Climate Bank programs.
- Founded in 2019 by Nobel laureate Alain Aspect, Pasqal joins firms such as IBM, Diraq, DARPA, Infleqtion and PsiQuantum at the 128-acre park, which state officials project could generate $50 billion in economic impact over 20 years.
- Image: Gov. JB Pritzker Instagram
A French quantum computing company is bringing a major investment to Chicago’s South Side, betting on the city’s growing quantum ecosystem.
Pasqal announced it will establish its U.S. headquarters at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, located on the former U.S. Steel South Works site that is being redeveloped into a high-tech campus that already includes some of quantum’s biggest players, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Pasqal plans to invest more than $65 million in its facility, where it will build a quantum computer powered by neutral atom technology. The company expects to create at least 50 jobs across a range of skill levels, the newspaper reports. The announcement was made Thursday during a press conference with Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
At the press conference, the governor said the addition is just one more step in achieving his goal of turning the state into a quantum “Silicon Valley”.
“Pasqal’s decision should inspire confidence in every quantum optimist in Illinois and around the world in the potential for our state and the potential of quantum,” Pritzker said, according to the newspaper.
Wasiq Bokhari, executive chairman of Pasqal’s board, said it was an easy decision for the company to establish its U.S. presence at the new technology park.
“[The] Chicago area and the state of Illinois is an epicenter of scientific discovery and innovation,” Bokhari said, as reported by The Chicago Sun Times. “In my mind, there are very few places in the whole world that come even close to the kind of capabilities.”
This might not be the only French quantum company on Chicago’s growing high-tech campus. Charlotte Montel, consul general of France, hinted that another as yet unnamed French quantum company is interested in joining the campus, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Pasqal Background
Founded in 2019, Pasqal builds and commercializes quantum computers that operate using neutral atoms.
Pasqal employs more than 300 people globally and maintains subsidiaries in eight countries. Its founders include Dr. Alain Aspect, who received the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for experiments that helped pave the way for modern quantum computing and communication technologies.
The company’s new headquarters will initially lease about 6,000 square feet within the park and operate out of a temporary facility in Cook County while construction continues, according to the Sun-Times. Once complete, the campus will house a small-scale assembly plant, research and development lab and office space. Pasqal’s U.S. expansion will be supported by state incentive programs under the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity Act, with an estimated value of more than $6 million. The Illinois Finance Authority and Climate Bank also approved a $15 million loan to support the company’s operations.
Pasqal will join a growing list of firms and institutions locating at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, including IBM, Diraq, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Infleqtion. The 128-acre development is anchored by PsiQuantum, a California-based company that plans to build what it calls the nation’s first utility-scale quantum computer. Construction of the park officially began on September 30.
The park is expected to include cryoplants, equipment labs and office space for universities and private companies, and is projected to have an estimated $50 billion economic impact over the next 20 years, according to the newspaper. Thousands of jobs are anticipated to emerge from the redevelopment of the former industrial site. The investment represents another step in Governor Pritzker’s broader effort to make Illinois a national hub for quantum technology, a field that could transform computing, cybersecurity, and drug development.
What Is Neutral Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing departs from classical computing by using “qubits,” or quantum bits, that can exist in multiple probabilistic states at once, allowing them to perform complex calculations far faster than traditional machines. A neutral atom quantum computer, like Pasqal’s device, uses individual atoms held in place by lasers as quantum bits so that they can be precisely controlled and entangled to perform complex computations without needing extreme cooling.
Supporters of the technology say it could help design new materials, model complex molecules for medicine, and improve encryption systems that safeguard sensitive information. Pritzker has described Illinois’ push into quantum as an investment in long-term competitiveness, positioning the state at the center of what experts believe will be one of the most transformative technologies of the century.
While the project has been met with enthusiasm from business and government leaders, community advocates have urged local hiring commitments and environmental oversight, given the site’s industrial past. The former U.S. Steel property was remediated decades ago, but residents continue to press for guarantees that redevelopment will bring equitable benefits and avoid displacement.
Sweet Home Chicago
Pasqal’s decision to locate in Chicago highlights how state incentives, available land and the growing concentration of quantum research institutions are helping Illinois attract global technology leaders. The company’s facility will mark its first permanent base in the United States, and if the park develops as planned, it could become a focal point of American quantum innovation.
“The Illinois ecosystem is growing stronger and stronger … with every new addition to the IQMP and to the Illinois area,” said Preeti Chalsani, chief quantum officer for Illinois Economic Development Corporation, according to The Sun-Times. “This will give Illinois residents jobs opportunities and ignite reinvestment in a neighborhood that needs it, and it will be transformative for all of Illinois and for the world.”
