Quantum Economy

The Bloch Quantum: an EDA Tech Hub

The Bloch is a designated Tech Hub of the US Economic Development Administration, serving the Chicago metropolitan area spanning Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. It is a cross-sector coalition, led by the CQE, that leverages Midwest assets to drive US leadership in quantum technologies.

The Bloch will secure the US quantum supply chain and accelerate quantum commercialization by integrating manufacturers, quantum developers, and other players into a seamless development cycle that incorporates design, production, assembly, and testing—all within dedicated facilities.

The Midwest’s wide-ranging quantum expertise, broad industry base, and manufacturing capacity will drive efficiency and power; public-private partnerships and workforce development programs will ensure long-term stability.

This framework is key to scaling quantum-based solutions critical to US economic and national security, including transport logistics, combating financial fraud, commercial and defense network security, energy grid resilience, and the development of new materials and life-saving drugs and biomedical devices.

The Bloch's Advantage

The Chicago region Tech Hub drives US global quantum leadership by leveraging Midwest assets. The Bloch is fueled by:

EXPERTISE	The greatest regional concentration of world-leading scientists, with 4 world-class R1 Universities, 2 DOE national laboratories, and 4 of 10 National Quantum Initiative Act research centers. University of Chicago designated among the 10 best quantum research Universities in the world.
STATE INVESTMENTS	Illinois government support, including a $200M joint research building and a $500M FY2025 budget proposal, including $13M directly for The Bloch Quantum Tech Hub.
STARTUPS	Duality, the nation’s first quantum startup accelerator, and an ecosystem that is second in the nation for quantum startup deals.
BROAD INDUSTRY BASE	A breadth of sectors ripe for quantum technology adoption, including 35 Fortune 500 companies, and tech companies that are first in the nation for quantum contracts.
TALENT	One of the country’s largest quantum-ready talent pipelines, awarding almost 60,000 degrees and certificates annually in quantum-relevant skills.
INFRASTRUCTURE	State-of-the-art facilities, including one of the longest quantum networks in the nation, and incentives to grow technologies and companies. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) will be providing the facilities for quantum companies and suppliers, with tenants including PsiQuantum, Infleqtion, Pasqal, and more. The Hyde Park Labs is a new and advanced building built by the University of Chicago and will be hosting multiple quantum companies.

Impact

In the next decade, The Bloch will:

Join Us

The Bloch Quantum covers the entire Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (IL-WI-IN) Metropolitan Statistical Area and includes:

Infleqtion
Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC)
Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity (WCMP)
State of IL Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
City Colleges of Chicago (CCC)
Purdue University Northwest (PNW)
Ability Engineering Technology (AET)
Photon Queue
One Region
Midwest Urban Strategies
Carthage College
Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP)
Related Midwest

Argonne National Laboratory
Boston Consulting Group
Bluefors
Chicago Quantum Exchange
City Colleges of Chicago
City of Chicago
EeroQ
Gateway Technical College
GET Cities Chicago
Great Lakes Crystal Technologies
Harper College
IBM
Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center
Infleqtion
IonQ
IQM
Ivy Tech Community College
memQ
mHub
Microsoft
MxD
Northwest Indiana Forum
Northwestern University
P33
Pasqal
Purdue Northwest
qBraid
Quantopticon
Quantum Corridor
Quantum Machines
QuEra Computing
reOrbital
Rigetti
State of Illinois
University of Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University Space Research Association

Connect with The Bloch Quantum via the Chicago Exchange at quantum[at]uchicago.edu