Intersect Illinois has joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange, deepening a collaboration between two multi-sector organizations focused on driving the region’s growth as a leading zone for quantum innovation.
"This partnership with the Chicago Quantum Exchange represents a pivotal moment for Illinois. By aligning Intersect Illinois' focus on economic development with the CQE's world-leading quantum innovation and workforce development efforts, we're creating a powerful engine for regional growth,” said Christy George, president and CEO of Intersect Illinois. “Together, we will strengthen the collaborative ecosystem that positions Illinois as a global leader in the burgeoning quantum industry, attracting investment, talent, and opportunity to our state.”
Intersect Illinois, a statewide economic development organization, collaborates with partners in the public and private sectors to attract new jobs and investment, showcasing the state’s advantages, including its central location, infrastructure, and a diverse workforce fueled by a dynamic higher education system.
The Chicago Quantum Exchange is an intellectual hub in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana that advances the science and engineering of quantum information, prepares the quantum workforce, and drives the quantum economy in collaboration with leading universities, national labs, and industry partners. Last year, the CQE commissioned a Boston Consulting Group analysis showing that continued investment in quantum technologies in the Illinois-Wisconsin-Indiana region could drive as much as $80 billion in economic growth, including substantial job creation over the next decade. The majority of those jobs would be accessible to people without graduate degrees — a trend that is already emerging nationwide.
“Intersect Illinois and the CQE are united by a shared dedication to building our region’s quantum economy into one of the strongest in the world,” said Kate Timmerman, CEO of the Chicago Quantum Exchange and a member of the Intersect Illinois board of directors. “If investment continues, quantum technology is predicted to create as many as 191,000 jobs for the region by 2035. Our complementary aims — the CQE’s focus on innovation and workforce development and Intersect Illinois’ business attraction efforts — are key to realizing this potential.”
The region’s quantum economy is already seeing substantial growth with its designation as a US Tech Hub for quantum technologies, the announcement of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, and the attraction of quantum technology companies.
"Intersect Illinois' partnership with the Chicago Quantum Exchange strengthens our commitment to driving quantum innovation and economic growth throughout the state,” said Preeti Chalsani, senior vice president and chief quantum officer of Intersect Illinois. “By combining our resources and expertise, we will accelerate the development and commercialization of quantum technologies, ensuring that Illinois remains at the forefront of this transformative industry. This collaboration will create new opportunities for businesses, researchers, and talent, solidifying Illinois as a global leader in the quantum revolution."
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Intersect Illinois is the statewide economic development organization focused on bringing new jobs and investment to the state. As the state’s business attraction organization, Intersect Illinois collaborates with partners in the public and private sectors to attract new jobs and investment. The organization showcases the state’s advantages including its central location with access to the country and world, its unmatched infrastructure, and its robust workforce fueled by its dynamic higher education system. Intersect Illinois makes it easier for companies to expand in Illinois by providing a range of services to help navigate the site selection process.
The Chicago Quantum Exchange is based at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and anchored by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwestern University, and Purdue University and includes more than 50 corporate, nonprofit, international, and regional partners.