Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (Lamar Johnson Collaborative)
Published on October 22, 2025
Quantum technology promises to transform industries ranging from logistics and finance to healthcare and energy. This moment carries major implications for business. Industries must move quickly to realign strategies, people and data systems—and the marketing firms that support their growth—for quantum readiness.
Quantum computing is moving from research labs into production—notably in Chicago, where the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) establishes a national hub for quantum innovation and startups are locating to draw on the region’s resources in university and government research, including the Argonne and Fermilab science labs.
No longer is quantum a distant frontier. IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and D-Wave offer cloud access to quantum processors for optimization, modeling, supply chain planning, fraud detection, and medical imaging. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize how we solve problems, especially those too complex for today’s most powerful supercomputers. Early applications include:
Businesses that understand and invest in quantum readiness today will gain a first-mover advantage. A D-Wave survey indicates that companies expect immediate returns in workflow efficiencies worth millions of dollars. Public-private partnerships such as the IQMP lower the risks of innovation in diagnostics, drug discovery, imaging, forecasting and fraud detection.
Chicago is laying the groundwork to lead in the quantum age. Fiber-optic cable connects Chicago research institutions, and communications firms are implementing repeater technology to open university test beds and the IQMP’s quantum supercomputer to industry and national security collaborators. Quantum startups, semiconductor firms, and infrastructure providers are setting up shop in the region. Together, these institutions are forging a powerful network for quantum acceleration, workforce development and commercialization.
Quantum tech should be attractive not only to industry but to marketing and public relations professionals. Quantum computing enables rapid analysis of massive datasets, dramatically improving customer segmentation, predictive analytics and real-time personalization of offers or campaigns. Its modeling applications in resource allocation, pricing, and targeting could boost ROI in any industry. Marketers can get in on the ground floor representing a high-potential emerging industry.
If AI, cloud and mobile tech innovations are any indication, quantum technology won’t arrive all at once. It will emerge through platform partnerships, pilot projects and data integrations. As in the early days of any technology, growth will rest in large part on communicating its possibilities and engaging its public and private funders.
As with any program involving personalization, marketers will need to engage intentionally with stakeholders and develop trustworthy compliance standards. As Diane Primo writes in ADAPT: Scaling Purpose in a Divisive World, leading companies must scale insovation alongside values. Quantum readiness is a chance to do both.
Here’s how marketing leaders and their business partners can start planning their quantum strategy:
Companies once asked, “What’s our digital strategy?” Today, they must consider where quantum could disrupt their business and where it can unlock new opportunities. This requires input from product, strategy, marketing and operations teams:
Quantum computing won’t require every marketer to become a physicist—but leaders must cultivate a shared vocabulary across teams. The few subject matter experts will be in great demand, and PR professionals will take a formative role in explaining the technology. They must understand the quantum basics:
Companies can engage and partner with regional collaborations such as the Chicago Quantum Exchange to host briefings, workshops, and learning events tailored for business leaders.
Quantum systems work best when paired with well-structured, high-quality data. Marketers should:
As customers, investors and employees seek trusted, forward-thinking companies, quantum technology can be a brand differentiator. Being part of the quantum transformation signals a commitment to innovation, security and sustainability. Forward-looking brands can use quantum to:
Companies that wait for “quantum to go mainstream” may find themselves playing catch-up. Chicago is already moving through the window for strategic preparation, and communications leaders have a central role to play.
PR professionals can frame the opportunity, engage partners and prepare their brands and workforce for the next great leap in technology. Quantum is coming. Will your company be ready?
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