CHICAGO (WLS) — Late last month, a significant gathering took place in Chicago with hundreds of leaders from quantum computing sectors in business, government, and academia attending the inaugural Global Quantum Forum.

At this event, Governor JB Pritzker, alongside the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Intersect Illinois, announced that quantum company Infleqtion will establish its global quantum computing headquarters in Illinois.

The company will be a future tenant at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park in Chicago.

It will be located at the former US Steel South Works site along the lake in the South Chicago neighborhood.

“There will be construction jobs, jobs for security personnel, jobs for all the support services,” mentioned Preeti Chalsani, the Chief Quantum Officer for Intersect Illinois.

Chalsani said jobs are expected to go well beyond just PhD’s: “It’s really creating a whole industry that requires everybody.”

Quantum computing uses the principles of quantum mechanics to solve complex problems potentially much faster than traditional computers can.

“What it does is allows you to do a new kind of math, a new kind of computing, that opens up a whole new way of processing information and that’s what quantum computing is,” Chalsani explained.

This groundbreaking technology holds the promise of being a valuable tool for engineers and scientists. It can help accelerate the delivery of life-saving drugs to patients, spearhead new green energy solutions, pioneer the creation of new, cost-efficient materials, and more.

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