Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is making a national pitch for his state to become the hub of America’s quantum computing revolution. Speaking at the 2025 Quantum World Congress in Virginia, Pritzker invited top researchers, investors, and startups to consider relocating their operations to Chicago and beyond.
“We have Duality, which is the nation’s first quantum startup accelerator,” Pritzker told attendees. “We have the second-highest number of Fortune 500 companies, the customers for quantum, of any region in the nation.”
Pritzker highlighted that collaboration is already underway at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park in Chicago, which he described as a nucleus of innovation where major corporations, government agencies, and academic researchers are building next-generation quantum hardware and software.
But not everyone is convinced the state’s quantum ambitions should proceed without scrutiny.
State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) acknowledged the immense promise of quantum computing but said any deals made to attract companies must be closely examined to protect Illinois taxpayers and ratepayers.
“It all depends on how the deals are negotiated,” Rezin said. “We want to be conscious about the costs, especially on the ratepayers, on the taxpayers. Very important.”
Illinois has already invested tens of millions in state tax incentives to lure quantum businesses to the region. As the industry rapidly evolves, the competition among states to become the next quantum epicenter is intensifying.
Professor Brian DeMarco, Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center at the University of Illinois, said the potential is transformative. Quantum computers, he explained, can solve complex problems that today’s most powerful supercomputers can’t handle—like managing energy grids or forecasting power demand at the state level.
Rezin echoed that sentiment but stressed that economic responsibility must accompany innovation.
“It is fair to say that once it is built out, many of the problems we’ve been trying to solve for decades might finally have solutions through quantum computing,” she said.
