Illinois is making its giant bet on quantum computing on the Far South Side of Chicago at the former U.S. Steel South Works plant on Lake Michigan, hoping to turn a symbol of Rust Belt decline into high-tech prosperity while reinvigorating a part of the city that has struggled for years to attract investment and jobs.

The state, along with research and corporate partners, chose the former steel mill over a former refinery in Lockport for a 128-acre campus that will be anchored by PsiQuantum, a Silicon Valley startup with ambitious plans to build the world’s largest quantum computer.

CHICAGO, IL – Intersect Illinois today announced changes to its leadership team. After nearly three years in the position, Intersect Illinois CEO Dan Seals will step down at the end of the month. Intersect Illinois Senior Vice President of Business Development Paulina San Millan will serve as interim CEO while a search for Seals’ replacement takes place.

“Intersect Illinois has seen tremendous growth over Dan’s tenure and we truly appreciate his passion for economic development and his dedication to the state of Illinois,” said Intersect Illinois Chairman John Atkinson. “Dan has taken the organization to the next level and I’m confident that Paulina and the team will continue to build on the momentum that is strong throughout the state right now.”

PRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker vowed Tuesday that Illinois will remain a “stable” trading partner with nations around the world, despite President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs that have disrupted global markets.

“Look, there are a lot of uncertainties at the moment, a lot of instability. There’s no doubt,” Pritzker said. “But this is a stable state. This is a state that thrives on certainty and allows our businesses to do well. And so we look forward to maintaining that status.”

Gov. JB Pritzker is leading a trade mission to Mexico from Sunday through Wednesday focused on agriculture, finance and manufacturing.

The trip to Mexico City follows a delegation to Japan last fall and comes as trade tensions between the U.S. and Mexico are worsening. The Trump administration said March 26 it will impose 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts.

CHICAGO –  In recognition of ComEd’s successful efforts to achieve best-in-class reliability, PA Consulting, the global innovation and transformation consultancy, yesterday presented the electric company the 2024 ReliabilityOne® award for Outstanding Reliability Performance in the Midwest Metropolitan Service Area. ComEd also received the Climate Action Leader award for advancing the planning and operations to transition into a cleaner future grid.

“ComEd continues to make strategic investments in its system to ensure best-in-class reliability for its customers,” said David Perez, Executive Vice President and COO of ComEd. “At the same time, we are improving the grid to meet the needs of our customers who want more clean, renewable energy on the grid and achieve the goals set forward in Illinois’ landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA.”

Springfield, IL – The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is encouraging the public and community organizations to join in the state’s ongoing planning for a safer, more reliable power grid at a set of community workshops this June. 

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) requires that Ameren and ComEd, the state’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, file grid plans that accelerate progress toward Illinois’ clean energy goals, outline system investments, and hold the companies accountable for their performance. Both utilities are required by CEJA to conduct a robust, transparent stakeholder process in the design of their grid plan.

Ymer Technology, a manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) components for the heavy equipment industry, has officially opened its new U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove, a significant expansion in the company’s operations.

The relocation from Houston is supported by a $5.7 million investment and an incentive package through the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Illinois) program.

As Chicago’s convention schedule has waxed and waned in recent years, one event has remained rock solid on the McCormick Place calendar: the International Manufacturing Technology Show, held every other year in late summer. This year’s edition runs Sept. 9 to 14, with nearly 2,000 exhibitors laid out over 1.3 million square feet and more than 100,000 visitors expected to attend. 

Outside of the annual Chicago Auto Show, which is held each February with attendance of more than 500,000, the IMTS, which is limited to a private audience of manufacturers shopping for machine tools, is the biggest event held at McCormick. In fact, it’s almost certainly the second-biggest business convention held in the United States, trailing only the Consumer Electronics Show, which attracted 139,000 people in January in Las Vegas. In the world of machine tools, the Chicago event competes evenly with a big show called EMO held in odd-numbered years in Hanover, Germany.