Pasqal Joins Chicago’s Quantum Hub with U.S. HQ
French quantum computing firm Pasqal will open its North American headquarters at the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), committing more than $65 million and creating what’s expected to be around 50 engineering and research jobs. Supported by $21 million in state incentives, the company will lease roughly 6,000 square feet, operating in the meantime from a Cook County site as construction takes place.
The headquarters will be within the 128-acre IQMP, part of the 600-acre former U.S. Steel South Works site now being redeveloped by Related Midwest. Once employing 20,000 steelworkers, the brownfield is being repositioned as a center for quantum and advanced manufacturing. Plans call for cryogenic systems, clean rooms, and heavy-duty utilities. Its Lake Michigan frontage offers rare urban waterfront tracts, while EPA Superfund status enables cost-effective redevelopment.
Pasqal joins anchor tenant PsiQuantum, which broke ground last month on an initial 80,700-square-foot research and office facility. Other tenants include Infleqtion, which will establish its global headquarters at the park; DARPA’s Quantum Proving Ground; and IBM, advancing its Quantum System Two and the National Quantum Algorithm Center. Related Midwest is phasing IQMP’s build-out over the next decade to provide scalable R&D space with expansion capacity.
Illinois has pledged $500 million toward quantum initiatives, including $200 million for PsiQuantum’s effort to develop a one-million-qubit system by 2028. “Pasqal’s decision to establish its U.S. headquarters in Illinois marks another major milestone for Illinois’ quantum ecosystem,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.
The effort counters a pattern, noted by The Wall Street Journal, of Midwest breakthroughs commercializing on coasts. The Chicago Quantum Exchange supports this, linking universities and labs. “Illinois has the academic excellence, supportive policy environment, and diverse talent pool to seize the unique opportunity to build quantum solutions in the U.S. These solutions will power future industries and create a profound economic impact,” said Pasqal CEO Loïc Henriet.
IQMP is projected to generate up to $20 billion in economic impact and thousands of jobs, per a 2024 state analysis, while a CQE-commissioned Boston Consulting Group study forecasts $80 billion regionally by 2035.