CHICAGO | Economic & Business Development

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by CaptainJilliams

US Steel South Works Site Wins Massive Quantum Project

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/tech...es-south-works

PsiQuantum to Build First US-Based Utility-Scale Quantum Computer in Chicago, Illinois

https://www.psiquantum.com/featured-news/illinois-iqmp

I just have a masters in electrical engineering and spin motors for a living, so what do I know. But...

10,000 to 20,000 hard working individuals used to be employed at the steel works. Real steel used in real products bought in real stores by real people, creating real profit.

Now we get 150 fake researchers "working" on something that will never do anything because quantum computing is fake. Everyone knows this, but government funding is "free". The laws of physics don't support any of the claims of quantum computing. A few fancy algorithms aren't quantum.

It's 2024. Where is my fusion power plant and flying car? I'll check back in 10 years. Have fun getting scammed.
P.S. Look up the carbon footprint of quantum computing.

[SIGSEGV]

^ I have a PhD in physics and work in the same building as a bunch of people working on quantum computing.

I don't know much about PsiQuantum or what they claim to want to do, but I can assure you quantum computing is a real thing...

[pullmanman]

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/poli...esidents-board

With Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the two City Council members whose wards overlap the site all on board, the legislative approvals are likely. But local community groups argue a community benefits agreement that secures their ability to share in the prosperity should be approved as well.

Oscar Sanchez, co-executive director of the Southeast Alliance Taskforce who ran unsuccessfully to represent the 10th ward as a Johnson ally, said the development can “elevate the Southeast Side,” but argued “there should be a community benefits agreement at the end of the day.”

Their biggest concern is displacement if the campus expands, brings in new housing and sparks property value increases that stress current residents, he said. The group also wants access to the jobs that will be created and potentially property tax relief for nearby residents.

Ald. Greg Mitchell, 7th, said a community benefits agreement wasn’t necessary because he and Ald. Peter Chico, 10th – whose wards share the South Works site – were both elected to represent their communities.

Ok this is great news, clearly stating the local aldermen are on board and the friction is just from community groups.

Curt Bailey, president of developer Related Midwest, told reporters "we are looking at having the facility up and running in 2027, which is about as fast as you can go."

The zoning process will take at least three months, but likely longer. Community meetings will be held before the project faces a series of votes at City Hall. The project is likely to be classified as light manufacturing and for high tech office space, which will not trigger further environmental reviews set up by the city to monitor air quality.

Very quick turnaround time for a massive site with environmental concerns. Great news if this goes thru as planned.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by pullmanman

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/poli...esidents-board



Ok this is great news, clearly stating the local aldermen are on board and the friction is just from community groups.



Very quick turnaround time for a massive site with environmental concerns. Great news if this goes thru as planned.

What displacement? It's a completely vacant/abandoned site that isn't going anywhere near the residential neighborhoods east of LSD. Plus, there is so much more additional undeveloped land north of this site, it's ridiculous to be this protective of literally dirt.

[twister244]

To me - I am thinking about this in terms of what comes after the facility is created. This isn't just about building a quantum computer for folks to use - It's about creating an ecosystem of innovation.

I was at Tech Day at the LY life sciences building yesterday and heard a couple presentations on this, including one of the co-founders from Psy. There really is an effort here to extend this beyond just the immediate jobs to build the thing.

The first initiative is the DARPA funding that's going into actually using the technology. Beyond that, I'm sure companies will want to begin using this technology for their own purposes.... I know I want to myself. And that's where the real rubber hits the road - Can the city/state foster an environment where local companies spring up in close collaboration with the ecosystem being created here?

The last thing I want to see is this facility goes up, local research institutions innovate - Only to have entrepreneurs take the innovation back to Silicon Valley to start their companies there instead of..... The West Loop for example.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by aaron38

Now we get 150 fake researchers "working" on something that will never do anything because quantum computing is fake. Everyone knows this, but government funding is "free". The laws of physics don't support any of the claims of quantum computing. A few fancy algorithms aren't quantum.

There is nothing "fake" about this...... Unless you're suggesting the $2b collectively going into this effort is also "fake"..... $700 million of which is not from the government but from investors that have invested into Psy.

[oakesd88]

Originally Posted by twister244

There is nothing "fake" about this...... Unless you're suggesting the $2b collectively going into this effort is also "fake"..... $700 million of which is not from the government but from investors that have invested into Psy.

Cracks have already appeared. The odds of this project being successful are the same or less then Foxconn building a full-scale factory in Mount Pleasant.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by sentinel

What displacement? It's a completely vacant/abandoned site that isn't going anywhere near the residential neighborhoods east of LSD. Plus, there is so much more additional undeveloped land north of this site, it's ridiculous to be this protective of literally dirt.

tbh this is a reason why im not really seeing how this is "transformational" for the south side that so many seem to be implying. its an isolated office park running a data center. an experimental data center, but nevertheless. i dont see how any implied benefits are going to trickle down to this to surrounding neighborhoods. this is hardly your standard tech company which would be employing thousands of locals. its cool from a science perspective but the impact feels overstated outside of all the contractors who are going to get construction work

[ChiMIchael]

So what's the long term benefit of the status quo? Does anyone have an alternative solution?

Of course there's gonna be a bunch of caveats, but it's very promising there are people who still see he potential in the city's economic vitality.

[moorhosj1]

Originally Posted by twister244

The last thing I want to see is this facility goes up, local research institutions innovate - Only to have entrepreneurs take the innovation back to Silicon Valley to start their companies there instead of..... The West Loop for example.

Completely agree with this take. It's why programs like UofC's Duality Accelerator program are important.

Duality is the first accelerator program in the US exclusively focused on supporting innovative quantum startups. The 12-month program is based in Chicago, the world’s leading hub for quantum innovation.

Nothing in the program forces them to stay here after 12 weeks, but if the infrastructure they need (access to quantum computers) is here, they will need some physical presence.

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

tbh this is a reason why im not really seeing how this is "transformational" for the south side that so many seem to be implying. its an isolated office park running a data center. an experimental data center, but nevertheless. i dont see how any implied benefits are going to trickle down to this to surrounding neighborhoods. this is hardly your standard tech company which would be employing thousands of locals. its cool from a science perspective but the impact feels overstated outside of all the contractors who are going to get construction work

South Shore and South Chicago are already getting significantly richer on their own, but it will still be nice to introduce where I live as “down the street from the Quantum Research Park” instead of the “vacant former steel plant”

So, no, I don’t believe the quantum stuff is going to be transformational for people living here, but quantum researchers and workers should still be able to support a few extra businesses in the vicinity.

Right now the land is just a polluted lot that is gated off with barbed wire, so even just a new walking path by the lake is a great improvement.

[moorhosj1]

Originally Posted by oakesd88

Cracks have already appeared. The odds of this project being successful are the same or less then Foxconn building a full-scale factory in Mount Pleasant.

Based on what, exactly? Foxconn is an established manufacturing company with a history of doing exactly what they did in Wisconsin.

This is a well-funded startup trying to accelerate a game-changing technological breakthrough. DARPA also wasn't involved in the Mount Pleasant project. They have a pretty good track record with new technologies (the internet, global positioning satellites, drones, etc.).

[SIGSEGV]

Sure it's possible psi quantum doesn't deliver, but they're not an obvious bait and switch like foxconn.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

tbh this is a reason why im not really seeing how this is "transformational" for the south side that so many seem to be implying. its an isolated office park running a data center. an experimental data center, but nevertheless. i dont see how any implied benefits are going to trickle down to this to surrounding neighborhoods. this is hardly your standard tech company which would be employing thousands of locals. its cool from a science perspective but the impact feels overstated outside of all the contractors who are going to get construction work

Again - This isn't just a data center. Psy is building a cutting edge computing facility to unlock insane tech abilities. Also keep in mind, this isn't like building an existing data center you just turn on to people who have decades of experience deploying software onto it.

This is a completely new type of computer that's going to require innovation to use it effectively. It's going to require researchers and engineers to help entrepreneurs efficiently use this new technology..... And there's the unknowns of what sorts of new innovative companies may spin out of this completely advanced technology.

That's where the potential is - The creation of an innovative eco system where companies spinup and stick around - Then grow and help boost the local economy.

Further - Given the resources needed for a computing facility of this kind, it's also possible it may not be the only one that gets built. If Psy is successful, you may see other facilities get proposed for the area.

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by oakesd88

Cracks have already appeared. The odds of this project being successful are the same or less then Foxconn building a full-scale factory in Mount Pleasant.

So what?

It’s a privately owned abandoned lot filled with pollution. If Psiquantum successfully builds a facility and hires people. Awesome, they qualify for funding. If not, everything remains the same. No harm done.

Foxconn Wisconsin was bad because they were evicting families from their homes for a known scam.

[Steely Dan]

As any experienced surfer will tell you, from a distance, it is impossible to know exactly which swell out on the horizon is going to transform into the next great big epic wave, so the best strategy is to just lie on the beach and not even try.

Besides, what if you do try to catch a great wave, and then later an even better one comes, but you can't catch it cuz you rode the first one in.

Clearly, the best solution for the old South works site is to let it sit empty forever, because who knows if this quantum stuff will even go anywhere, and there always could be something even better down the line.

It's also unlikely that this project, all by itself, will lift every single last low income Chicagoan out of poverty, forever. So again, what's the point? Why are we trying?


If we had real leadership in this state/city, they'd be doubling or tripling down on efforts to convince US steel or cleveland-cliffs or some other steel maker to rebuild and reopen a giant steel plant on the site, cuz that seems pretty likely.

[OrdoSeclorum]

Originally Posted by aaron38

I just have a masters in electrical engineering and spin motors for a living, so what do I know. But...

10,000 to 20,000 hard working individuals used to be employed at the steel works. Real steel used in real products bought in real stores by real people, creating real profit.

Now we get 150 fake researchers "working" on something that will never do anything because quantum computing is fake. Everyone knows this, but government funding is "free". The laws of physics don't support any of the claims of quantum computing. A few fancy algorithms aren't quantum.

It's 2024. Where is my fusion power plant and flying car? I'll check back in 10 years. Have fun getting scammed.
P.S. Look up the carbon footprint of quantum computing.

DARPA is involved in this project, it's not just one company.

I agree that I wish it was IBM or Google and not PsyQuantum at the center of this project. But if the site gets cleaned up and the major infrastructure gets built for advanced technology R&D and manufacturing, that site will become valuable again the same way that Rivian and Lion electric moved into valuable sites, like a hermit crab changing shells. The foundation is what's important and the promise of leveraging Argonne, Fermi Lab, DARPA, U Chicago, UIUC and other stakeholders will create gravity, if it gets off the ground. It's not just giving a bunch of money to some third rate Chinese company that makes TVs for Costco.

Pritzker was successful venture capitalist before he was governor. He can tell fantasy from reality. We're not dealing with Scott Walker and Trump who have the same ability to a good deal from a bad one as my aunt who keeps falling for new pyramid schemes.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Besides, what if you do try to catch a great wave, and then later an even better one comes, but you can't catch it cuz you rode the first one in.

Clearly, the best solution for the old South works site is to let it sit empty forever, because who knows if this quantum stuff will even go anywhere, and there always could be something even better down the line.

It's also unlikely that this project, all by itself, will lift every single last low income Chicagoan out of poverty, forever. So again, what's the point? Why are we trying?

Much needed rebuttal. Also one that could be applied to 90% of all social media articles with doomsayer chime-in comments about the city. Some will simply feel better, and smarter, not to look optimistically about change or new developments.

[left of center]

Originally Posted by aaron38

I just have a masters in electrical engineering and spin motors for a living, so what do I know. But...

10,000 to 20,000 hard working individuals used to be employed at the steel works. Real steel used in real products bought in real stores by real people, creating real profit.

Now we get 150 fake researchers "working" on something that will never do anything because quantum computing is fake. Everyone knows this, but government funding is "free". The laws of physics don't support any of the claims of quantum computing. A few fancy algorithms aren't quantum.

It's 2024. Where is my fusion power plant and flying car? I'll check back in 10 years. Have fun getting scammed.
P.S. Look up the carbon footprint of quantum computing.

Steel plants (or any manufacturing/industry for that matter) simply don't employ as many people as they used to. The US manufactures roughly the same amount of products, if not more, as it did about 40 years ago but employs a much smaller workforce in doing so. As an example, look at nearby Gary Works, from Wikipedia:

The Gary Works remains Gary's largest single employer and a key element of the city's tax base,[6] but employment levels have fallen substantially since the mid-20th century; the plant and allied facilities employed over 30,000 people in the early 1970s, but only 6,000 in 1990,[7] 5,000 in 2015,[8] 2,500 in 2021,[9] and 2,246 in 2023.[10]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Works

While a decline in output might explain some of the drop in workers, the vast majority of it is explained by automation and technology. Less humans are required to produce the same amount of [insert product here].

Saying that we should wait for another mega industry to move in instead is basically voting to keep this land fallow and empty. The city has already waited a generation for something to fill this spot. Since you are unsatisfied with that, shall we waste yet another generation?