Gov. Pritzker Announces Major Federal Partnership in Quantum Research

CHICAGO— Today Governor JB Pritzker joined representatives from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), legislative leaders, and representatives from Illinois’ congressional delegation to announce a major ongoing partnership called Quantum Proving Ground to explore the potential of quantum computing in Illinois. This partnership is the result of investments made during the Pritzker administration in quantum research and infrastructure, in addition to the state’s strong local workforce, research, and university partners.

“The future of quantum is here, and it’s in Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With the support of our federal partners, Illinois’ quantum campus will generate the sort of competitive research that has driven our most important American innovations, all while injecting billions of dollars into our state’s economy and creating hundreds of local jobs.”

The Memorandum of Agreement signed with DARPA will establish Illinois’ quantum campus as the site for a new Quantum Proving Ground program, where quantum computing prototypes will be tested and evaluated as part of DARPA’s new Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, which was also announced at today’s event. Governor Pritzker’s FY25 budget allocated $500 million in state investment to help fund quantum research and build a campus. Illinois will commit $140 million in matching funds for the Quantum Proving Ground. DARPA’s level of investment in the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative will be determined by the quality of proposals, evaluation results, and availability of federal funding.

“We urge small and large companies and research institutions across the country who are developing quantum computing hardware to come and work with DARPA and our partners,” said Dr. Joe Altepeter, the DARPA program manager leading the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. “We just issued a special notice on the federal government’s SAM.gov website as a heads up that the QBI solicitation is coming soon. Any company or institution that thinks they can prove they are on the path to industrial quantum, we want to hear from you.” ​

The facility will include shared cryo facilities, equipment labs, and spaces for both private companies and Illinois’ research universities to collaborate and research. Companies with competing technologies across the industry will be able to participate in the DARPA-Illinois Quantum Proving Ground, and those competing for funding will be selected based on performance and results. The campus is projected to generate up to $60 billion in economic impact and create thousands of jobs. The campus site location will be announced at a later date.

DARPA has an established history of investing in the development of some of the most important inventions in U.S. history, including GPS miniaturization, weather satellites, and the modern internet (followed by the personal computer browser, designed by a research team at the University of Illinois). This investment in researching the possible future of quantum is a recognition of the significant power quantum computing could hold in national defense technologies, machine learning, prescription drug research, financial transactions, and more. ​

Governor Pritzker has made investing in quantum computing a major priority for his administration. In addition to the half a billion dollar investment in the quantum campus, Illinois previously invested $200 million to support the Chicago Quantum Exchange, the first state to make that large of a commitment.

“Illinois has long held the spirit of invention, innovation, and influence. The quantum computing campus further establishes Illinois as a as a global hub for technology and innovation,” said Senator Dick Durbin. “Through the combined efforts of Illinois’ National Labs, world-class universities, industry leaders, and now our growing partnership with the Department of Defense with this Quantum Proving Ground, our state will continue to champion technologies and industries of the future.”

“As the only PhD physicist in Congress and the representative of Chicagoland's two world-class National Labs - Argonne and Fermilab, I know that quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize science and technology in countless ways,” said Congressman Bill Foster. “It’s vital that scientists have the resources they need to engage in competitive research that could trigger a sea change in American scientific innovation and cryptography for national defense. I applaud DARPA for making this ambitious investment in the Chicagoland area and I am proud that Illinois is positioning itself to be a major hub for quantum computing research for decades to come.”

"Throughout our history, DARPA has been involved in the development of some of the most important inventions in U.S. history," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "That’s why I’m proud to see the introduction of the Quantum Proving Ground, which will help generate billions of dollars in economic impact, create thousands of jobs, and help us better understand how quantum computing can help us advance in areas like national defense technology, machine learning, and prescription drug research. It’s been a pleasure working with Governor Pritzker and our Illinois congressional delegation to turn this dream into a reality, and I can’t wait to see what fruit this bold and innovative partnership bears in the future.”

“Just as technological innovation has changed our lives in ways we could never have imagined, quantum holds the promise of doing the same for the future," said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). "And that future will happen here.”

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