An Australian startup plans to be a tenant within a sprawling quantum computing campus planned on the site of a former U.S. Steel plant on Chicago’s far South Side.
Diraq signed a letter of intent to join the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, the company and Illinois officials said. It's the latest step in Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mission to make the state a major player in the high-tech quantum sector, where the use of subatomic particles is expected to lead to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, drug development, climate science, banking and other sectors.
“The Diraq mission is to design, build and deploy the world’s most cost-effective quantum computers, with the most compact footprint, allowing for mass deployment in data centers worldwide,” Diraq’s CEO and founder, Andrew Dzurak, said in a statement. “We recently set up operations in Silicon Valley and Boston, and we are looking at suitable options for expanding our presence. The IQMP represents an exciting opportunity that can support our U.S. growth strategy.”
The federal- and state-backed campus is being developed by Related Midwest and Clayco’s CRG development arm on more than 400 acres along Chicago’s south lakefront.
Other tenants committed to developing quantum uses on the site include Palo Alto, California-based PsiQuantum and Armonk, New York-based IBM.
“Diraq building and scaling their quantum operation at the IQMP is a testament to Illinois attracting the tech and security sectors,” Pritzker said in the statement. "Diraq's commitment further cements Illinois’ position as a global quantum leader and reflects the state’s commitment to fostering innovation and economic growth.”
Illinois and the U.S. Department of Defense first announced plans for the project in July 2024, and later that month PsiQuantum’s involvement was confirmed. In the following months, the choice of the South Works site for the facility and IBM’s involvement were announced.
The Fermi and Argonne national laboratories near Chicago already are home to teams of quantum researchers.
Late last year, the massive scope of the project came into focus when the real estate developers filed documents with the city seeking zoning approval for as much as 59 million-plus square feet of quantum computing buildings on the long-vacant land. There is no guarantee that much space, or even nearly that much, will be needed to meet demand as several other states compete for similar projects.
The Chicago site is bordered by Lake Michigan, 79th Street and the Calumet River.
Diraq and Fermilab recently formed a partnership to develop an ultraprecise quantum sensor, according to the statement.
Diraq is one of 16 companies taking part in a benchmarking initiative with the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. As part of a six-month program, Diraq will have access to as much as $1 million in federal funding.
While the larger campus is built, Diraq and other companies will be based out of a so-called On-Ramp facility providing access to things like cryostats, control electronics, lasers and optical tables. The statement does not say where the short-term On-Ramp facility will be located.
“We’ve been encouraged by the incredible interest from businesses across the globe who want to establish a presence at the Park, and we look forward to working with the talented team at Diraq as they continue advancing their quantum processors,” Harley Johnson, executive director and CEO of the quantum park, said in the statement.