Building the Future of Quantum on Chicago’s South Side
How Clayco, LJC, and CRG are turning a former steel mill into America’s largest quantum computing hub
For generations, the former U.S. Steel South Works site helped build Chicago and cities across America. Today, the 440-acre lakefront property is beginning a new chapter—one focused on advancing the future of science, technology, and innovation.
Quantum Shore Chicago will transform the historic site into a world-class quantum computing and advanced technology district. Through the combined expertise of Clayco, LJC, CRG, and Related Digital, the project brings together development, design, and construction to help deliver one of the most ambitious innovation campuses in the country.
A First-of-Its-Kind Campus
The first phase of development is the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a 128-acre campus designed to support research, collaboration, and next-generation computing technologies.
Anchored by PsiQuantum, the campus will also include organizations at the forefront of quantum computing and advanced technology, creating an ecosystem where research, innovation, and commercialization can thrive. Alongside PsiQuantum, the park is drawing a rapidly growing roster of partners, including IBM, which will house its Quantum System Two computer on-site; Australian quantum startup Diraq; and Infleqtion, which is investing $50 million to build its global computing headquarters at the park. Advocate Health Care is adding a $300 million hospital to the site, rounding out what’s shaping up to be a powerhouse campus for science, health, and technology.
As the design architect for the first phase, LJC developed a campus that reflects both the site’s industrial legacy and its future as a center for innovation. Clayco is delivering the initial construction, including PsiQuantum’s research and office facility featuring specialized laboratories, a cryogenic plant, and highly controlled environments designed to support quantum computing technologies.
Honoring the Past While Looking Forward
The vision for Quantum Shore Chicago extends beyond the buildings themselves.
Design elements acknowledge the site’s history as one of the nation’s great steel-producing locations while creating a campus that embraces sustainability, public space, and community connectivity. Native landscaping, bird-friendly glazing, public art, and enhanced lakefront access are all part of a long-term vision that connects innovation with environmental stewardship and neighborhood investment.
Investing in Chicago’s Future
Quantum Shore Chicago represents more than an investment in technology—it is an investment in people and place.
The development is expected to create thousands of jobs, expand workforce development opportunities, improve public access to Chicago’s lakefront, and support continued investment throughout the South Side. At the same time, it positions Illinois as a national leader in quantum computing and advanced technology research.
Quantum computing is widely viewed as the next major leap in computing power, with the potential to accelerate breakthroughs in fields from pharmaceuticals to energy to defense. Illinois has bet big on being the place where that leap happens: the state has committed roughly $500 million to IQMP on top of an earlier $200 million investment in the Chicago Quantum Exchange, and Governor JB Pritzker has called the project a cornerstone of establishing Illinois as the nation’s leading hub for quantum innovation.
For Clayco, the project is a proof point of what its integrated model can deliver — design, development, and construction working as one team on one of the most technically demanding building types in the industry, at a scale and speed that few firms in the country can match. It’s also a chance to put that capability to work in service of a long-disinvested community: the project is expected to bring thousands of jobs to the South Side, expand access to the lakefront, fund workforce development and local hiring, and support new affordable housing in the surrounding neighborhood.
As Michael Fassnacht, Clayco’s Chief Growth Officer and President of the Chicagoland Region, put it at the September 2025 groundbreaking, the firm is building more than a facility — it’s laying the foundation for technological breakthroughs that will shape industries and communities for decades.
Looking Ahead
With development underway, Quantum Shore Chicago is laying the foundation for a new era of innovation on Chicago’s South Side.
As the campus continues to grow over the coming years, the integrated teams at Clayco, LJC, and CRG are proud to help transform a site that once shaped America’s industrial future into one that will help shape the future of computing.
For more information on Phase 1 of this campus, visit our Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.