Quantum Campus Rises Near Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park

The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a $9 billion project on Chicago's Southeast Side, has begun construction on the former U.S. Steel South Works site. Spearheaded by PsiQuantum and master developer Related Midwest, the project is touted by Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson as a landmark for quantum innovation, promising economic investment and jobs. However, local environmental justice advocates and community organizations, including the Alliance of the Southeast (ASE), express significant concerns. They point to the site's history as a Superfund site with heavy metals and chemical waste, fearing construction could disturb contamination. Critiques include the lack of a health impact assessment and a legally enforceable Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) to address community needs and ensure local hiring. The article highlights that IQMP officials state the cryogenic plant will produce zero emissions during normal operations, but no such promise was made for other data center companies planning to reside there. Water usage is a major issue, with IQMP planning to draw from Chicago's municipal system. Dr. Sharon Waller, secretary of the Illinois section of the Water Reuse Association, criticizes Illinois's lack of water reuse policy, which she argues led PsiQuantum to adopt expensive, energy-intensive cryogenic cooling after the city's sewer system couldn't handle the company's original water discharge demands. This policy failure is contributing to rising electricity rates, with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) citing data center demand as a primary driver for a proposed $15.3 billion grid plan, leading to significant increases in residential electricity bills. Activists like ASE Executive Director Amalia NietoGomez and a coalition of South Side advocates have picketed events like the Global Quantum Forum, demanding a CBA. The article also draws parallels to similar patterns of data center development in predominantly Black and low-income communities across the country, citing examples in Memphis (xAI) and Prince George's County, Maryland. The public health burden of U.S. data centers, particularly in low-income counties like Cook County where IQMP is located, is projected to be substantial.