Exclusive look inside Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park development in South Chicago

A new development under construction in South Chicago will specialize in quantum computing.

It's a massive priority for Gov. JB Pritzker, who pushed for the big bucks going into it, hoping to transform vacant space on the lakefront and position Illinois to become the next Silicon Valley.

The future is taking shape on South DuSable Lake Shore Drive on property that's been vacant since 1992, when the 128-acre U.S. Steel South Works Plant permanently closed. Quantum computing and technology will run where those mills once did.

From old to new, replacing the economic engine of Chicago's past with the park that will drive it into the future on an international scale, according to Harley Johnson, CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

"A lot of the people working on the project have parents or grandparents who worked at the steel mills," said Johnson said. "There's no other place like this in the world."

Johnson gave CBS News Chicago an exclusive first look at the campus that's now taking shape after being greenlit by city council back in 2024.

"This is, I think, a technology that we think will change the world. And what we're trying to do here is create a critical mass of companies and talent that fuels that industry," he said.

In the tech space, Illinois is already establishing itself as a global leader — a hub for quantum computing and technology dubbed the Quantum Prairie or the next Silicon Valley.

What is quantum computing and its relation to the future?

Quantum computing is a new form of computing. It is a technology that uses the principles of quantum physics to process information in a way that's different than what classical computers do.

With quantum computers working at speeds and complexities beyond anything we know, the hope is they'll be able to reach conclusions and find solutions our current systems simply can't. Tackling issues like the discovery of new medications for complicated diseases or better materials for renewable energy use, according to experts.

"Something as basic as we've been using the same process to create fertilizer for a very long time, that takes tons and tons and tons of energy. Four percent of all energy in the world is used just to make fertilizer for farms in places like Illinois. Without quantum computers, we can't change that. With quantum computers, we could actually make fertilizer, just as one example, in an entirely different way, use way less energy, save the planet, and actually help farmers in Illinois and it's happening right here," said Brad Henderson.

Henderson is CEO of P33, a nonprofit dedicated to innovation here in Chicago with a focus on tech opportunities.

"What's interesting now is when you go to India, where I was recently, or Taiwan, or to Europe, and you say you're from Chicago, it's commonly recognized that Chicago is the leading global place in the world for quantum computing," he said.

This first phase of construction, anchored by PsiQuantum based in Palo Alto, California, the goal is to build and deploy the world's first large-scale quantum computer in Chicago.

Pritzker, who's led the quantum charge, fought for the $500 million in state money that's funding the new park.

The hope is that the move will boost the state's bottom line and Illinois's economy.