(The Center Square) – A new tenant for the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on Chicago’s Southeast Side is set to receive more than $5 million in tax credits from the state.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke Wednesday at the 2025 Global Quantum Forum in Chicago.
“I am proud to announce that Infleqtion will be building their utility-scale, neutral-atom quantum computer right here in Chicago as a tenant of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park,” Pritzker said.
The governor said the Boulder, Colorado-based company would invest around $50 million and create dozens of new jobs.
Infleqtion Chief Executive Officer Matt Kinsella said the company’s mission is to commercialize quantum.
“Infleqtion is proud to expand our presence here to build the first utility-scale quantum computer based on neutral atom technology, a critical step toward unlocking quantum advantage and ushering in a new era of scientific and economic leadership,” Kinsella said in a statement.
Infleqtion will receive tax credits from Illinois’ Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity Act (MICRO) Program. According to the MICRO agreement, the estimated value of the credit for Infleqtion is $5,343,328. The new employee jobs target, according to the agreement, is 36.
When PsiQuantum was announced as the IQMP’s anchor tenant last July, a company statement said the package of incentives from Illinois, Cook County and Chicago was worth more than $500 million over 30 years.
In December, Pritzker and IBM officials announced the National Quantum Algorithm Center featuring IBM’s next generation modular quantum computer at the quantum park. The project includes a taxpayer-funded grant of $25 million from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Residents of Chicago’s Southeast Side have expressed concerns that the quantum park’s financial benefits will remain at the campus and local small businesses will suffer.
Pritzker was asked Wednesday about one community group’s concerns.
“I will say that a site that sits abandoned for 30 years with no jobs on it is not helpful to the community at all, and there have been attempts to do things on that site that have not panned out. This is hyper-charged, super-charged, an endeavor to bring jobs, to bring economic opportunity to the area,” Pritzker said.
Maurice Scholten, president of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois, provided The Center Square with a statement.
“The Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois supports public officials to promote economic growth, including through incentives that expand the state tax base. As these projects come online and Illinois taxpayers have direct financial investments in their success, it is imperative for government to provide relevant and timely economic impact data for public review,” Scholten stated. “We applaud Governor Pritzker’s announcement today that another tenant is committing to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, and we look forward to studying with his administration the return on taxpayer investment in Quantum Enterprise Zones.”
Chicago Flips Red founder Zoe Leigh offered a differing view.
“Governor Pritzker’s announcement of yet another tech tenant for the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park is more of the same: big promises for big corporations, while everyday people on the Southeast Side continue to be overlooked. These companies are receiving tens of millions in tax incentives, yet we see no measurable reinvestment into the local Black community, no job guarantees, no contracts for local small businesses, no affordable housing relief,” Leigh said in a statement to The Center Square.
Leigh said they are tired of being told such projects will “lift all boats” while their communities are left to sink.
“If the Governor wants to talk about real innovation, he should start by investing in the people who’ve been here building for decades not just giving sweetheart deals to newcomers and out-of-state interests,” Leigh added.
Brian DeMarco is professor of physics and Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center at the University of Illinois’ Grainger College of Engineering. He also serves as director and chief technology officer at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.
DeMarco said Pritzker and the state legislature have been visionaries for appropriating $500 million last year to build a quantum economy.
“I think it’s been wonderful to see the strong support from the state government and the ability to partner with the federal government as well on problems of mutual interest,” DeMarco said.
DeMarco is scheduled to speak Thursday at a Capitol Hill briefing on quantum’s future.
“I think we’d like to convey that we’re at a Sputnik moment in quantum technologies, and the U.S. can really win that moment,” DeMarco told The Center Square.
