Creating a better future with the world's best technology
Home to groundbreaking innovation — including the cell phone, the wireless remote, and the first-ever web browser —Illinois is where ideas become patents and technology drives revolution. The state is among the top 10 for IT jobs and GDP, offers the 1st quantum PhD program in the U.S., and is home to powerhouse tech startups (including 15 unicorns), innovation hubs, and 30+ Fortune 500s shaping a better tomorrow.
Top-Tier Talent
Boasting several of the world's top universities and research institutions (including 6 R1), alongside the 3rd largest community college system in the U.S., Illinois produces the top quantum information science and technology leaders globally. The 1st quantum PhD program in the U.S. is offered at the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois (a top-5 engineering school) graduates more engineers each year than Caltech, MIT, and Stanford combined. With nearly 40K degrees and certificates awarded annually in quantum-related fields, over 12K credentialed Chicagoland technologists are ready to help your company scale — and soar — today.
Exceptional Ecosystem
Illinois' unique ecosystem rallies together world-class scientists, academic, civic, and industry partners across greater Chicagoland — driving quantum innovation from the heart of the Midwest. Home to 2 DOE labs (Argonne and Fermilab), 4 out of 10 NQIA quantum research centers, the Chicago Quantum Exchange — one of the world's largest quantum collaboratives — and Duality, the 1st quantum startup accelerator, companies are poised for incredible tech success. Illinois also boasts the $500M Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a first-of-its-kind quantum campus, home to PsiQuantum, IBM, Diraq, and DARPA — plus more, coming soon.
Unparalleled Opportunity
What sets Illinois apart is its diverse industry base, with companies ranging from logistics to life sciences ready to adopt emerging technologies in quantum and related fields. Backed by the State in its policy and programming, coupled with substantial federal funding (Illinois was designated as a Regional Tech and Innovation Hub by the U.S. EDA), means companies have ample resources to innovate and grow. In Illinois, you'll find everything you need to collaborate, innovate, commercialize, and distribute via exceptional supply channels, including air, rail, road, and water — getting your product to market faster, more reliably, and with greater cost efficiency.
Notable Illinois Businesses
Notable Illinois Businesses
Top Illinois tech employers include:
- IBM
- Nvidia
- Microsoft
- Meta
- Salesforce
Key Data
- ~30K tech companies employ 268K+ individuals with $61B+ GRP (#1 in Midwest; top 10 in U.S.)
- #4 most concentrated semiconductor-ready workforce in the U.S.
- Top 10 AI growth hub, university for AI, and state for getting a job in the AI boom
- #7 data center location in the U.S.
- Global leader in quantum innovation with 4/10 national QIS centers and 2/5 DOE QIS centers including Argonne and Fermilab
- Home to the 1st quantum startup accelerator, Duality, and the first-of-its-kind quantum scale-up campus, the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), to host PsiQuantum, IBM National Quantum Algorithm Center, and DARPA Quantum Proving Ground
- University of Illinois alone graduates more engineers each year than Caltech, MIT, and Stanford combined
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