Quantum computing is designed to solve complex problems much faster than conventional computers, cutting years of processing time to minutes, according to proponents. Although quantum chips are energy-efficient, the massive refrigeration system required to keep them cold demands a significant water supply to stay operational.
This is the challenge facing a new quantum-centric industrial park planned for Chicago’s southeast side. Slated for a 440-acre parcel along Lake Michigan, the $1-billion Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park features advanced water use and wastewater treatment technologies.
Photo: Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics ParkThe facility will rely on fragile superconducting chips, or qubits, that require extremely cold temperatures to function, said local water watchdogs. Unlike water-hungry data centers, the quantum hub is designed for self-sufficiency, using internal recycling to avoid drawing from Lake Michigan. This closed-loop system will act as a heat sink for the cryogenic cooling technology that will power the operation.
Ultimately, the quantum system should be paired with an equally innovative water conservation strategy, said water policy expert Rachel Havrelock, founder of the Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois Chicago.
“There has been so much public investment on capital and brain power for this project,” said Havrelock. “It would be a shame to come up with all these fast machines, but have outdated forms of water use.”
Located on the former grounds of U.S. Steel South Works, the site is centered on quantum technology scale-up and related advanced microelectronics research. Conceived by California-based quantum computing startup PsiQuantum, the park will house a roster of global tech giants, including IBM, Diraq, and Infleqtio.
Havrelock is excited about having a utility-scale, error-corrected quantum computer in her backyard, yet remains cautious about its water reuse capabilities. Her Freshwater Lab continues to gather data and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the facility uses a minimum amount of treated drinking water for cooling.
“The park has very intensive water needs, but they don’t need drinking water,” Havrelock said. “With water demands, there’s often too many unknowns. Hyperscale data centers can use five million gallons of water daily. There are centers that can cool using electricity, but when you do that, it’s hiding water use on the back end because of the water needed to generate electricity.”
Water, water everywhere
IQMP is billed as the largest concentration of quantum activity in North America, boasting $20 million of potential economic impact. Supporters say the high-tech hub will accelerate the commercialization of quantum technologies, leading to rapid advances in medicine, finance, materials science and more.
The park’s initial phase consists of a 128-acre campus located on one of the area’s largest waterfront properties, said lead developer Related Midwest. While the city’s water reclamation district management office has discussed supplying reclaimed water to the campus, the plan depends on installing new piping along an eight-mile stretch of lakefront property, noted Havrelock.
Developers broke ground on the 128-acre site in September. Constructing the campus along Lake Michigan at least demonstrates a level of planning beyond the standards of job creation and economic development, said Alaina Harkness, CEO of Chicago-headquartered water innovation hub, Current.
“You can see the pattern (nationwide) of where we put water-intensive industries like data centers and semi-conductor facilities,” said Harkness, also CEO of Great Lakes ReNEW, a National Science Foundation-funded organization dedicated to “the transition to a circular blue economy.” “Construction takes place without access to water. All we’re doing (as a country) is siting on economic development – like who has the best tax credits – but there’s no long-term view of resource availability.”
The Great Lakes is an ideal environment to maintain the next generation of water-dependent industries, added Harkness. This summer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law that allows the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District to provide treated wastewater for enterprises like the quantum campus.
“That’s a big step forward for Illinois, because South Works has a wastewater and sewage system running through it,” Harkness said. “Using wastewater for heating and cooling is a great option.”
Harkness is optimistic about Chicago’s new quantum computing hub, though she needs more details on the project’s water footprint. Qubits, or quantum bits, are so exceptionally sensitive that even minute disturbances, like heat energy or Wi-Fi signals, can cause calculation errors. Keeping qubits cold helps prevent these impacts – in order for a quantum computer to run, it needs supercooling at slightly above absolute zero, (or -273.15°C), said Danyel Cavazos, manager of the University of Chicago’s Quantum Lab.
“In general, quantum computers need to be kept at extremely low temperatures,” Cavazos said in an email. “When the temperature is high, particles are more active because of their thermal energy, and this results in vibrations and noise. If the active components of the quantum computer – the qubits – get in contact with a noisy environment, then the information stored in them tends to get corrupted and stops being useful.”
Ideally, the quantum park will be a showcase for innovative water and energy strategies, influencing these practices in both Illinois and nationwide, added Harkness.
“With IQMP, they’ve selected a site that should put them in a position to do all the right and interesting things in respect to water management,” said Harkness. “States need to be involved in the planning and siting of these projects in the future.”
