Editor’s Note: Illinois Answers published a story last year examining the massive public investment aimed at developing the quantum industry in South Chicago. This week, we end a three-part explainer series with a look at potential water use in the 128-acre Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, or IQMP.
Residents near the planned IQMP have a pointed question: will the project draw water from Lake Michigan?
Officials have not released a water-use estimate for the campus, and plans for the site include a quantum microchip facility that would require ultrapure water, though leaders say it would operate at a far smaller scale than major chip factories.
Read more: How Much Public and Private Money Is Powering Chicago’s Quantum Push?
What is the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park?
IQMP is a 128-acre development where startups will try to build the world’s first commercially useful quantum computer. The site’s location on the shore of Lake Michigan has spurred many questions from community members about how much water the operation will use.
Will it draw water from Lake Michigan?
Yes, but not directly, according to IQMP officials. The issue of Lake Michigan water use has come up so much that it’s on the Frequently Asked Questions page on the IQMP website.
“The IQMP plans to draw water for cooling from the city of Chicago municipal water system, not directly from Lake Michigan.”
That means the water used at the site would be sourced the same way Chicago residents get water at their homes.
Why does IQMP need water?
Water is needed both for quantum microchip manufacturing and for cooling machinery.
In December, officials disclosed plans for a quantum microchip facility at the site. Like the chips in phones and laptops, a single quantum chip can require gallons of purified water during manufacturing.
And while quantum computers use cryogenic chambers to operate, some of the machinery also needs water to stay cool.
How much water will IQMP use?
IQMP officials have not provided an estimate for the park’s water use but have said the draw from the city’s water will not be significant.
They have also said they will use a closed-loop system that recycles water.
IQMP CEO Harley Johnson has said the quantum microchip facility would operate at a much smaller scale than major fabrication plants such as Intel, which can use millions of gallons of water a day.
Johnson described the planned facility as a ‘foundry,’ – something between research clean rooms at universities like the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and large commercial plants that employ thousands of workers.
“Think of a conventional (fabrication) facility and divide it by 1,000, to give you a sense,” he said, discussing the project’s expected water and energy use.
What if microelectronics expands at the site?
A larger-scale buildout of microelectronics manufacturing at the site would likely increase water demand.
But Johnson has said the site’s focus is on quantum technology and related components, not a full-scale conventional chip plant.
Illinois is actively courting those industries, offering incentives for companies developing or making microchips, semiconductors and component parts for microchips, semiconductors and quantum computers.
“We have access to water. We have access to energy. We have access to the workforce,” said Kristin Richards, the director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “We are very much open for business.”
What’s next?
As plans for the site develop and new companies are recruited, water and energy use should become clearer. IQMP officials have said once quantum computers come online, they will use less energy than data centers. But the site is still expected to require significant power.
The first phase of the project, the PsiQuantum building, is scheduled to be complete by 2027. ComEd has said that the 128-acre site, once complete, could reach a peak demand of 350 megawatts of power.
