Illinois backed IBM Quantum System Two, a newly unveiled computer in Chicago, with a $25 million grant, putting state funds behind research plans at a future technology campus.
The grant went to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees on behalf of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), Illinois said. The state said the money covered equipment and technical preparations for installing the computer and transferring it later to IQMP. IBM, the University of Chicago, Illinois and IQMP unveiled the system Friday, Nov. 6.
The computer is operating at the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park Labs. IBM says it is the company’s first quantum computer in Illinois. The university is hosting it until IQMP is ready, but officials have not given a date for the move.
The system uses the IBM Quantum Nighthawk r2 processor, which has 120 qubits and 218 tunable couplers, according to IBM and the University of Chicago. IBM describes System Two as its most advanced computer currently available.
The installation is intended to anchor the National Quantum Algorithm Center, which Illinois and IBM announced in 2024. The center is designed to connect academic researchers and companies working on quantum algorithms and potential applications. IBM said AbbVie and Deloitte are working with IBM and Northwestern University to develop quantum molecular simulation approaches for drug discovery. EPRI and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are exploring ways to optimize power grids.
In South Korea, Yonsei University and IBM upgraded Yonsei’s IBM Quantum System One with the same IBM Quantum Nighthawk r2 processor, according to IBM’s Korea newsroom. EconoTimes previously covered the Yonsei system upgrade.
IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said the Chicago computer can deliver “scientifically useful results” to organizations in Illinois and beyond. Illinois says quantum technology is a priority in its economic development strategy, with IQMP intended to serve as an industry hub. The state says it aims to attract private investment and create opportunities for researchers, businesses and workers.
The planned IQMP campus covers 128 acres, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. System Two is expected to move there once construction is finished, but officials have not announced a completion or relocation schedule.
