Diraq Opens First U.S. Quantum Lab in Chicago
Diraq, an Australian quantum firm, has established its first U.S. laboratory in Chicago. The new facility is located within mHUB, as part of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park‘s (IQMP) On-Ramp program. This space provides Diraq with cryogenic and measurement equipment to test its silicon spin-qubit devices while the permanent IQMP campus is under construction. It’s important to note that this is a lab opening with early experimental work, not a product launch or a demonstration of performance results.
Details of Diraq’s Chicago setup
According to Diraq’s announcement on August 19, the Chicago site is equipped with two quantum refrigeration units and supporting hardware. The company states that current work includes qubit measurements, cryogenic CMOS testing, and component verification. This new lab complements Diraq’s existing research operations in Sydney. Diraq plans to leverage the time-zone difference between the two locations to extend daily experimental runtime.
The facility is part of the IQMP On-Ramp program at mHUB, which allows tenants to begin operations before the main Park campus is completed. Diraq intends to expand its Chicago team over the next year, building on its current staff in quantum theory and device fabrication.
Diraq develops processors using silicon spin qubits and CMOS-compatible manufacturing. This approach, the company claims, could eventually enable millions of qubits on a single chip, which is their stated design goal. The current lab work focuses on prototyping and characterization, which are several steps away from a functional, utility-scale machine.
The 2029 target and its omissions
Diraq aims to achieve a commercially viable system with thousands of physical qubits by 2029. The company defines “utility scale” as the point where a quantum computer generates more computational value than its construction and operational costs, which is a benchmark no quantum computer has publicly reached yet.
The announcement includes endorsements from IQMP and Illinois economic development officials, both of whom have a vested interest in attracting quantum companies to the state. Illinois has significantly invested in positioning Chicago as a quantum hub, and this new tenant supports those political and financial efforts.
Diraq CEO and founder Andrew Dzurak emphasized access to local facilities as a key reason for the move:
“Chicago has become an important center for quantum development in the U.S. and establishing a research and development base here puts us in the heart of the country as we expand our capabilities and work toward utility-scale systems.”
Notably, the release doesn’t include any performance data from the new lab, qubit fidelity numbers, or details about any customers. This move represents an infrastructure development for a company that is still working towards its 2029 roadmap.