Cluster of computers at Fermilab’s Grid Computing Center in Batavia, Illinois. Credit: Department of Energy.
By Bianca Licitra
A quantum cluster is emerging in the Chicago area due in part to the region’s “excellent research universities,” according to a new report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“Anchored by world-class universities, two Department of Energy national laboratories, strong regional economic development organizations, and significant state investment, the region is building a powerful ecosystem to advance quantum science and commercialization,” CSIS said.
Quantum clusters are ecosystems of quantum-focused startups, corporations, research institutions, and government agencies concentrated geographically. Economic clusters typically consist of geographically adjacent businesses, suppliers, universities, and associated institutions that work together to foster innovation and networks of talented people, leading to increased economic development and growth. Examples of successful economic clusters in the United States include Silicon Valley (information technology, artificial intelligence), Boston-Cambridge in Massachusetts (biotech and life sciences), North Carolina’s Research Triangle (biotech, information technology, engineering), and Austin’s Silicon Hills (software, semiconductors).
“By far the Chicago region’s greatest asset in pursuit of becoming a major global quantum hub is the presence of seven large and excellent research and educational institutions,” the report emphasized. All five universities that CSIS named as contributing to the cluster are AAU institutions: the University of Chicago; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana; Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois; and University of Wisconsin–Madison.
CSIS noted that, in addition to conducting research, the universities have launched several successful initiatives to build out the regional quantum ecosystem:
- The University of Chicago has been the “principal driver” of the regional quantum ecosystem, CSIS found. The university’s Hyde Park Labs, for example, include space for academic researchers and companies to translate early-stage science and technology into commercial opportunities. It is just one of the more than a dozen centers and initiatives at the university enabling quantum innovation and collaboration. The university is also developing “groundbreaking” curricula in quantum science, constructing regional quantum infrastructure, attracting commercial investments, and generating quantum startups.
- Northwestern University offers a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs focused on quantum science, according to CSIS. The university also leads a consortium of 10 U.S. research universities doing research on the “transfer of information between quantum systems” through its Center for Molecular Quantum Transduction.
- Purdue University ranks number one in the United States in total number of undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees and offers curricula, research, and training in quantum technology. The university is also a leader in quantum photonics and has faculty dedicated to developing “practical and impactful” applications of quantum science.
- The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has one of the largest material science departments in the United States, which is “deeply engaged” in quantum research and education, CSIS found. In 2022, the university and IBM launched a joint accelerator – backed by a $200 million investment – to increase access to technology education and skill development in four technology areas, including quantum science.
- The Wisconsin Quantum Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison offered the nation’s first master’s degree in quantum science beginning in 2019. In 2023, the university began two separate industry partnerships with Intel Corporation and HRL Laboratories, each of which send state-of-the-art silicon-based qubits to the university for experimentation aimed at improving their performance.
Chicago isn’t the only quantum hub in the United States; other emerging hubs include those in Maryland, Colorado, California, and New York. Each of them, CSIS notes, “builds on decades of basic research in quantum science and related disciplines underway in local universities and laboratories.”
As CSIS explained, the United States government has identified “enormous national security and economic stakes involved in developing and deploying quantum technologies.” The National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018 enacted a coordinated federal program to accelerate quantum research for the nation’s economic and national security, and, in 2025, the Trump administration identified quantum technology as a top priority for federally funded research. Congressional leaders remain interested in the National Quantum Initiative Act.
American research universities are the foundation of the nation’s quantum innovation. In addition to producing cutting-edge science, universities help attract federal funding and commercial investments, develop partnerships, educate the future workforce, build infrastructure, and foster startups.
The Chicago quantum cluster shows what’s possible when research universities collaborate with state and federal partners and businesses. As Washington weighs future priorities for science funding, policymakers should recognize that supporting university-based quantum research and the regional ecosystems it anchors is not just about advancing a cutting-edge technology, it is about securing U.S. economic growth, good jobs, and long-term national security.
Bianca Licitra is editorial and communications assistant at AAU.