Illinois, Australia, United Kingdom Meet to Boost Collaboration Across Business and Technology Sectors
Australian Ambassador Rudd, UK Ambassador Mandelson, and Governor Pritzker promote innovation in quantum industries
May 13, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC- Yesterday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd, and United Kingdom Ambassador the U.S. Peter Mandelson met with business and technology leaders to discuss boosting collaboration and advancing innovation in the fast-growing quantum industries. As part of the event, the three leaders participated in a quantum roundtable alongside leading international quantum companies, highlighting opportunities for joint research and design efforts, cross-border partnerships, and workforce development. Illinois also signed a letter of intent which will see Australian technology firm Diraq expand its US footprint to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park as a tenant. Diraq is working on technology that supports quantum computers in the exchange of information.
“Illinois is on a mission to be at the center of the growing quantum industry, and is proud to be one of only a few states in the nation to invest in infrastructure and partnerships for the quantum future,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Meaningful collaboration across borders will ensure the strongest opportunities for innovation, research, and success—all while creating jobs and economic growth for the people of our respective regions.”
Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd highlighted the transformative opportunities that quantum technologies offer, and the value of partnerships.
“Australia has a proud track record in leading technological advances in quantum technologies,” said Ambassador Rudd. “These technologies are no longer theoretical – they are finding their way into more and more real-world applications. And there are bigger things to come – with quantum computing set to transform industries and solve previously intractable problems. Collaboration across borders, between governments, industry and academia, sends a clear message about our commitment to advancing quantum technologies consistent with our shared interests and values.”
United Kingdom Ambassador Peter Mandelson spoke about the need to build on our existing strengths and collaborate further with allies.
“In an era of heightened competition and contest, we cannot afford to stand still," said Ambassador Mandelson. "The UK has a thriving trillion-dollar tech sector, but we must combine strengths with our allies to keep ahead in the global race. We must intensify our collaboration across critical advanced technologies to reach the breakthroughs in quantum and AI that will define this century.”
The roundtable discussion focused on accelerating quantum innovation for shared technological advancement and security - underscoring the commitment of all three governments to deepen collaboration in quantum technologies. The leaders also discussed strengthening ties between governments, businesses, and academia as a mechanism to accelerate quantum development and harness the technology for the greater good. These shared priorities reinforce the importance of aligning each region’s strategic capabilities with emerging quantum applications.
Australia is delivering on its plan to be a global quantum leader by 2030. The Australian Government released its National Quantum Strategy in 2023 and, since then, has been investing to build a thriving quantum industry. The flagship National Reconstruction Fund is supporting the growth of Australian quantum companies, building on Australia’s investment in PsiQuantum to build its first utility scale quantum computer in Brisbane. Meanwhile, the Critical Technologies Challenge Program is accelerating quantum commercialization and taking the technology out of the lab and into real-world uses.
Illinois is establishing itself as the global quantum capital. Illinois is home to the historic Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) - a first of its kind quantum hub designed to foster quantum advances through collaboration with academia, the business community, government and more. IQMP is currently home to PsiQuantum, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and IBM’s New National Quantum Algorithm Center. IQMP is projected to generate up to $20 billion in economic impact and create thousands of jobs through continued expansion.
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