Building a quantum powerhouse in the US Midwest

In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast I am in conversation two physicists who are leading lights in the quantum science and technology community in the US state of Illinois. They are Preeti Chalsani who is chief quantum officer at Intersect Illinois, and David Awschalom who is director of Q-NEXT.

As well as being home to Chicago, the third largest urban area in the US, the state also hosts two national labs (Fermilab and Argonne) and several top universities. In this episode, Awschalom and Chalsani explain how the state is establishing itself as a burgeoning hub for quantum innovation – along with neighbouring regions in Wisconsin and Indiana.

Chalsani talks about the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, a 128-acre technology campus that being developed on the site of a former steel mill just south of Chicago. The park has already attracted its first major tenant, PsiQuantum, which will build a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer at the park.

Q-NEXT is led by Argonne National Laboratory, and Awschalom explains how academia, national labs, industry, and government are working together to make the region a quantum powerhouse.

• Related podcasts include interviews with Celia Merzbacher of the US’s Quantum Economic Development Consortium; Nadya Mason of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago; and Travis Humble of the Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

This podcast is supported by American Elements, the world’s leading manufacturer of engineered and advanced materials. The company’s ability to scale laboratory breakthroughs to industrial production has contributed to many of the most significant technological advancements since 1990 – including LED lighting, smartphones, and electric vehicles.