Chicago Residents Protest $1 Billion Quantum Park Over Water, Power and Toxic-Site Fears
Updated
Updated · New Scientist · Oct 2
Chicago Residents Protest $1 Billion Quantum Park Over Water, Power and Toxic-Site Fears
3 articles · Updated · New Scientist · Oct 2
Summary
South Side residents have intensified opposition to the 128-acre Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to reverse permits and halt the project at an August protest.
Environmental concerns are driving the backlash: the campus is being built on a former steel mill with long-running contamination worries, while neighbors also fear higher water and electricity use and rising utility costs.
The project broke ground in September 2025 and has already drawn more than $1 billion in public and private funding, with PsiQuantum targeting a utility-scale error-corrected machine there as early as 2028.
Developers and tenants say the park differs from AI data centers, promising jobs, outreach and cleanup; IBM alone says its planned center would bring 750 full-time roles.
The dispute shows quantum computing may face the same local scrutiny as AI infrastructure as the industry scales up and communities demand clearer environmental and economic accountability.