* 4/29/26 - IBM to hire 750 at Chicago’s quantum campus + IBM will bring innovation hub, 750 new jobs to Chicago’s quantum park + info re Chicago Quantum Exchange and Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park
Buzz Sawyer
technical workers at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on the South Side.
The company will create jobs in AI, cybersecurity, data science, quantum and other technologies,
in part through an apprenticeship program with City Colleges of Chicago.
a leader in quantum computing, providing a long-term economic boost to Chicago and
the state. IBM is one about 50 corporate partners in the Chicago Quantum Exchange,
a research consortium that is anchored by University of Illinois Urbana Champaign,
University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and
Purdue University, as well as Argonne and Fermi national laboratories.
IBM will bring innovation hub, 750 new jobs to Chicago’s quantum park
April 29, 2026 By City Colleges of Chicago
IBM to hire 750 at Chicago’s quantum campus
IBM plans to dramatically increase its presence in Chicago with a commitment to hire 750 technical workers at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on the South Side.
The company will create jobs in AI, cybersecurity, data science, quantum and other technologies, in part through an apprenticeship program with City Colleges of Chicago.
The move signals a growing presence in Chicago by one of the world’s biggest technology companies and makes Gov. JB Pritzker’s quantum technology strategy more tangible.
IBM, which already planned to be part of the R&D park as an anchor of the National Quantum Algorithm Center along with the University of Illinois, also will house its FutureNow Chicago delivery center at the park.
“IBM’s investment in Illinois is a powerful vote of confidence in our state’s growing technology and quantum ecosystem and the world-class workforce that powers it,” Pritzker said in a written statement announcing the partnership.
Companies such as PsiQuantum plan to build large-scale quantum computers at the park, which is being built on the site of an abandoned steel mill. But so far, the announcements have involved far more capital investments than jobs. PsiQuantum plans about 150 jobs at the park.
One of the questions among community groups that have been critical of the project is whether it will create jobs for Chicagoans.
“With a transformation this big, I intend to make sure our working families are at the core of the economic success that these changes are going to bring to Chicago and the state of Illinois and to the United States,” Pritzker said during an event at Olive-Harvey College on the South Side, not far from the quantum park that’s under construction
“Residents of the South Side will be able reap the economic lift from this new wave of technology.”
Under the partnership, which evolved from discussions that began four years ago, IBM will hire 750 new employees in Chicago, with 180 of them coming from an apprenticeship program at City Colleges of Chicago. IBM will receive $19 million in state incentives. Over the next five years, City Colleges will support 500 apprentices, with IBM committing to hire qualified program graduates, the state says.
“IBM’s FutureNow Chicago delivery center will support new jobs, expand our Chicago delivery capability for IBM’s clients, and together, we will build the future of technology talent and create sustained economic growth,” IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement.
IBM, which has long had a significant sales operation in Chicago, started hiring technical staff after announcing the quantum algorithm center. The company is a leader in quantum technology, which is seen as the next major advance in computing.
The Armonk, N.Y.-based tech giant plans to hire a team of about 50 researchers to work on quantum algorithms in Chicago. The initial hires already are working at U of I Discovery Partners Institute in the Loop. IBM also is installing one of its quantum computers at Hyde Park Labs, a research facility near the University of Chicago campus, which will move to the quantum park.
“With this new era of quantum upon us, I believe we are a couple of years away from making a profound difference to industry and people’s lives. This is the moment to double down on our cooperation and our investment,” Krishna said this morning. “The goal is to Illinois a better place to live, to work and to do business.”
IBM’s participation helped bolster Pritzker’s $700 million bet that Illinois could become a leader in quantum computing, providing a long-term economic boost to Chicago and the state. IBM is one about 50 corporate partners in the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a research consortium that is anchored by University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Purdue University, as well as Argonne and Fermi national laboratories.
Companies and academic researchers believe that combining quantum computers with traditional supercomputers is the key to turbocharging artificial intelligence to tackle new problems in computer security, finance, medical research and development of new materials.
The technology has not yet been proven to provide the advantage over traditional computers that researchers believe is possible. IBM is among the companies racing to build large-scale systems, which requires both new hardware and software.
Workers hired in Chicago “will help IBM clients and industry partners solve complex, real‑world business and technology challenges," the company said.
Chicago has a large base of companies, and “all of them are trying to figure out AI and quantum,” says University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos. “This is a logical place for IBM to lay down roots.
“This is an important moment for Chicago. This is an indicator of how real (the quantum effort) is.”
State tax incentives back latest addition to quantum park on city’s South Side
Article Summary
- JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that IBM will bring its FutureNow innovation and delivery hub to Chicago’s South Side.
- The center will be located on the planned Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park campus and is set to create 750 full-time jobs in supercomputing fields, such as cybersecurity, AI and data science.
- IBM will work with City Colleges of Chicago to design an apprenticeship program supporting 500 apprentices, with a commitment to hire some graduates for full-time positions.
- The company will receive $19 million in tax breaks over 10 years.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
CHICAGO — A new delivery hub will be the latest addition to a state-backed quantum computing park in Chicago, bringing with it 750 new full-time jobs, company and state officials announced Wednesday.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced IBM will open its FutureNow Chicago innovation and delivery hub on the planned 128-acre Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park campus on Chicago’s South Side. The jobs would be in supercomputing fields, such as cybersecurity, AI and data science.
State officials, especially Pritzker, see the quantum park as a transformative hub for quantum tech-related businesses, researchers and government programs. Construction began in September, with $500 million in state funding. The first phase is anticipated to conclude in 2027.
“The partnership that we’re talking about today is among the first of many steps to ensure that our quantum ecosystem is not just about innovation, but about opportunity,” Pritzker said.
In addition to offering 750 new full-time jobs over five years, IBM will work with City Colleges of Chicago to design an apprenticeship program supporting 500 apprentices, with a commitment to hire some graduates for full-time positions, according to the governor’s office.
“IBM is accelerating its engagement with our city and in our state, and we just can’t thank them enough,” Pritzker said.
The company will in turn be subject to tax breaks under the state’s EDGE, or Economic Development for a Growing Economy, tax credit program. Those would amount to $19 million over 10 years.
South Side benefits
Through key partnerships with Illinois colleges and universities, Pritzker and IBM hope to attract young, local talent to long-term careers in transformative, advanced quantum technology fields and reap much of the economic benefit in Illinois.
“With a transformation that’s this big, I intend to make sure that our working families and communities are at the core of the economic success that these changes are going to bring,” Pritzker said.
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, who earned his PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1991, echoed the governor’s sentiment and touted the economic opportunities the FutureNow center and new apprenticeship initiatives could bring.
“All of these partnerships across all of the programs — from co-ops, interns, full-time hires — is really going to help cultivate the talent and deliver growth to the state and for the region,” Krishna said. “We are excited to help deliver these business outcomes, and the goal is to make Illinois a better place to live, to work and to do business.”
Xochitl Flores, the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development’s bureau chief, thanked Krishna and IBM for choosing to invest in Chicago and expressed optimism about the long-term economic benefits.
“This is not just about this one-time investment,” Flores said. “This is a foundation for long-term inclusive growth.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson framed the issue as delivering overdue economic stimulus to underserved communities on Chicago’s South Side and called on residents to seize the opportunity these investments will bring.
“This is an opportunity for you to invest in yourself and embark upon a new path,” Johnson said.
City Colleges partnership
City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado lauded the initiatives as a “Chicago Moonshot,” saying he was hopeful the inclusive nature of CCC’s partnership with IBM will set a standard for the industry and be adopted elsewhere.
“This is a moonshot,” Salgado said. “It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capitalize on the momentum of the IQMP and connect employers to highly skilled pipelines that come from City Colleges of Chicago.”
Salgado went on to state that students would be compensated directly for participation in the planned yearlong apprenticeship program, with the hope that they would be hired for full-time positions.
Funds for these apprenticeships will be provided by CCC’s philanthropic partnerships, with the goal of raising $7 million for the first two to three years of the apprenticeship program by the end of this year, Matthew Bruce, executive director of the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, said.
Dr. Roni-Nicole Facen, principal and CEO of St. Francis de Sales High School, a private high school on Chicago’s South Side, concluded the event by offering historical context and underscoring the urgency of economic investment in the community.
“If you look back at photos from the 50s, 60s and 70s, you see that South Chicago was a booming metropolis,” Facen said. “When I look at those pictures, it has become my push, my lifelong vision to see us return back there.”
The campus and the recently announced FutureNow center are expected to open their doors in 2028.
In 2024, the General Assembly approved a $500 million plan to build a “quantum campus,” which eventually became the quantum park. The state’s economic development agency also arranged a tax incentive package worth $200 million to PsiQuantum, the first “anchor tenant” of the development. Since the park development was announced last summer, several other tenants have signed on.
Aidan Klineman is an undergraduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications, and is a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.