Insider Brief
- Illinois has launched the $3 million X-Labs Fast Fund to support NSF X-Labs teams developing quantum technologies and encourage them to establish operations in the state.
- The funding program will provide eligible teams with additional capital, access to quantum infrastructure, and support from Illinois-based organizations including the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park and Chicago Quantum Exchange.
- The initiative builds on Illinois’ existing quantum ecosystem, which includes national research centers, academic institutions, and facilities focused on advancing quantum research and commercialization.
Press release – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced today the X-Labs Fast Fund to encourage U.S. National Science Foundation X-Labs (NSF X-Labs initiative) teams to choose Illinois as the place to pursue technical breakthroughs in the quantum technology sector. The Illinois X-Labs Fast Fund reinforces Illinois’ leadership as the nation’s leading hub for quantum innovation.
“There’s no better place to build quantum technology than right here in Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This is more than an immediate capital injection for these entrepreneurial teams. We’re offering operational autonomy along with access to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park’s unparalleled technical infrastructure and experimental research facilities, cutting-edge labs, innovation hubs, and networks that can help X-Labs awardees innovate, scale and pursue transformational breakthroughs in the sector.”
The X-Labs Fast Fund is a $3 million capital fund to augment federal funding for teams focused on quantum technologies and awarded under the Phase 0 of the federal X-Labs opportunity. Teams pursuing a federal X-Labs award may write their intention to pursue Illinois funding into their application. The State of Illinois has committed approximately $200 million to attract federal funding for quantum and already demonstrated an ability to quickly deploy those funds. If awarded by NSF, teams will be able to apply to DCEO and receive the grant within months.
“The State of Illinois’ $3 million X-Labs Fast Fund will attract new talent to Illinois, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to take advantage of our world-class facilities and opportunities for growth,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “With each new investment, Illinois is cementing its reputation as the leading hub for quantum innovation.”
In addition to the $3 million X-Labs Fast Fund, Chicago’s leading quantum innovation organizations have put together a package to attract teams applying to X-Labs. The Chicago Quantum Exchange, P33, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and mHUB will add $250,000 in funding, immediate access to elite lab space and advanced prototyping facilities, and access to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park’s (IQMP) technical infrastructure, including cryogenic, test and measurement equipment, and experimental research facilities. With access to Chicago’s state-of-the-art quantum campus and innovation ecosystem, facilities, assets and resources, X-Labs teams will be able to reduce infrastructure costs and maximize the impact of their NSF funding.
“Through our investment in building a quantum technology campus, IQMP is proud to support both foundational quantum research and the applied quantum industry,” said Brian DeMarco, Chief Technology Officer, IQMP. “We are thrilled to join the vibrant Illinois quantum community, offering support to X-Lab participants.”
To learn more about the complete support package from the State of Illinois and quantum partners, and how to apply, visit bit.ly/ILxlabs.
“Governor Pritzker and our quantum ecosystem partners are bringing something other geographical areas cannot: a full-stack quantum ecosystem already in motion, full of capital, infrastructure, talent, world-leading academic research institutions and our two national research laboratories,” said Brad Henderson, CEO, P33. “With the largest concentration of quantum activity in North America, Illinois is wired for scale. If you’re building in quantum, this is the opportunity to do groundbreaking work faster.”
Illinois is home to four of the 10 National Research Centers funded by the National Quantum Initiative. This includes two U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers led by Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and two NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes that lead cutting edge research in quantum sensing and hybrid quantum architectures and networks, the exact focus areas for the two NSF X-Labs calls. Illinois was the first state to partner with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create the Illinois-DARPA Quantum Proving Ground to provide additional support for DARPA performers. The IQMP, a 128-acre development currently under construction, will be one of the largest quantum computing sites in the world, providing infrastructure and resources to support the development and commercialization of quantum technologies, hardware, software, and applications.
“Illinois has built the nation’s most formidable quantum ecosystem thanks to strategic investments like the new fund to attract high-growth, high-impact ventures to the state,” said Illinois EDC President and CEO Christy George. “The Illinois X-Labs Fast Fund ensures that the world’s most promising quantum teams have every reason to build in our state.”
Governor Pritzker has made investing in quantum computing a major priority during his administration. In addition to the $500 million investment in IQMP, Illinois previously invested $200 million to support the Chicago Quantum Exchange, the first state to make that large of a commitment to quantum – a move that cemented Illinois’ leadership nationally and attracted federal research dollars. Companies committed to the IQMP include IBM, anchor tenant PsiQuantum, Infleqtion, Pasqal, Diraq, and Quantum Machines.
