Quantum computing is a fast-growing technology that uses the rules of quantum physics to solve complex problems beyond the ability and speed of normal binary computers. Quantum computing matters because it processes data in a fundamentally different way, crunching extremely large amounts of data with speed. The future of quantum has large implications for everything from medical discovery to the world of artificial intelligence—potentially accelerating machine learning optimization, complex problem solving and improving data pattern recognition. 

This kind of computational leap is why cities and countries alike are racing to build quantum capacity now, as the advantage for leading cities is both scientific and economic. Quantum computing alone could generate up to $2.7 trillion in global economic value by 2035, and the regions that build the workforce, infrastructure and research base early stand to capture an outsized share of that value, whether through hosting the companies that build quantum machines or training the workers who put them to use.

Few places have made that bet as early or as visibly as one of Heartland Forward’s Center for Investment Readiness communities—Chattanooga, Tennessee. As Pulse of the Heartland covered last year in Qubits in Tennessee: How Chattanooga is Farming Data and Making National History, the city’s publicly owned utility partnered with IonQ to launch the EPB Quantum Center—the first commercially available quantum computing and networking hub in the country. 

The federal government is also taking action.

On June 22, 2026, the White House released two Executive Orders on quantum computing:

• Executive Order 14412, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks,” instructs the U.S. to protect sensitive data, critical infrastructure and the digital economy from adversaries’ quantum capabilities.

• Executive Order 14413, “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation,” charges the U.S. with a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to strengthen the quantum ecosystem, through public-private partnerships, research & development (R&D) coordination, manufacturing, commercialization and workforce development.

As the federal government mobilizes a comprehensive push to turn quantum research into accessible jobs, services and products, it is impossible not to look to the heartland, where two of the nation’s advanced quantum projects are taking shape: Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is training its workforce to use quantum technologies, and Chicago, Illinois, which is investing in R&D to build the machines themselves. Together, these cities show how the heartland is ahead of the curve on innovation.

Chattanooga: Equipping the Workforce with Quantum Knowledge 

In 2009, Chattanooga’s publicly owned utility, the Electric Power Board (EPB), launched a city-wide fiber optic network bringing the nation’s fastest residential internet to southeastern Tennessee. The city’s foresight led to several economic development wins, as Chattanooga’s unique infrastructure advantage attracted partners including the U.S. Department of Energy, which enlisted EPB, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the quantum computing company Qubitekk (now IonQ), to test quantum-secure communications on a real electric grid in 2016. This partnership laid the groundwork for the launch of the EPB Quantum Center, made up of the EPB Quantum Network and, in partnership with IonQ, EPB Quantum Computing, offering companies the ability to use a quantum computer on a secure quantum network. As the EPB Quantum Center evolves in step with other regional quantum leaders, such as the partnership announcement with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the growing quantum ecosystem could deliver up to $1.1 billion in community benefit to Chattanooga. 

The City of Chattanooga wants this generational resource and economic opportunity to benefit all community members, namely its existing workforce. “Traditional models of attracting and expanding our workforce and economy are like binary computing: they aren’t related to the technology we are implementing,” said Andrew Hudson, Director of Workforce Development Strategy for Chattanooga. “To develop our workforce and economy in the quantum age, Chattanooga is starting with a direct integration angle to workforce development, connecting the labor supply with labor demand to cultivate our best resource, our people.” As Hudson noted, the evolution of quantum should be paired with a workforce development strategy that corresponds with the transformative nature of the technology itself.

That integration is evident through the Quantum Pre-Apprenticeship program, launched by the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative (CQC) and BuildWithin. The pre-apprenticeship, which is upskilling and reskilling the workforce while quantum technologies evolve, is designed to give working professionals across income levels and sectors an understanding of how to use quantum in their existing industries. Apprentices benefit from the quantum ecosystem in Chattanooga, which includes CQC partners, such as universities, quantum companies and federal organizations, like Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

The CQC, a non-profit amplifying the quantum ecosystem in Chattanooga and the broader region, understands the value of bringing together quantum stakeholders, both from a workforce and economic impact perspective: “Area companies having the opportunity to earn a share of the expected quantum economic impact is one of the drivers behind our work,” said Danna Bailey, Strategic Planning & Communications at the CQC. “We’re working with partners to help our community build the muscle it will need to participate in and benefit from this next technological revolution”

Chicago: Building the Quantum Technology 

Over 500 miles away from Chattanooga, Chicago is also investing in quantum. On the South Side, the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP) is being built on the former US Steel Works plant, backed by $500 million in state investment. The first-of-its-kind campus, which will include parkland and a new hospital, is designed to accelerate quantum R&D by hosting quantum computing companies, researchers and suppliers, including PsiQuantum, which aims to build and operate the first commercially useful quantum computer. In connecting the builders of quantum technologies at a top-notch facility, the IQMP is expected to generate $20 billion in economic impact and create thousands of jobs for the region in the coming years. 

Chicago is also home to the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), a consortium of universities, national labs and nearly 70 industry, international and non-profit partners advancing quantum research, workforce development and economic innovation. Illinois has invested $200 million in the CQE, which aims to build the world’s premier quantum ecosystem drawing upon the region’s research collaborations, workforce pipelines and supply chains, becoming a regional hub for quantum excellence and a national leader in this emerging industry.

What’s Next

Both cities show how investing in quantum technologies provides near and long-term growth opportunities for existing workforce, companies and sectors. This growth has the potential to remain local and drive value for the cities and regions themselves.  

As Hudson put it, “While federal efforts can sometimes make midsize cities feel lost in the crowd, it’s necessary to remember how the heartland makes manufacturing and agriculture happen every day in ways that have enormous global impact. Small is a superpower for the heartland, as it allows for genuine relationships to form out of which remarkable things can grow. Knowing your neighbor is the collaboration that Chattanooga’s quantum ecosystem is built on.” As the White House pushes for a coordinated national quantum strategy, the heartland’s early investments in workforce pipelines, research infrastructure and public-private partnerships position the region to define what quantum ecosystem development should look like for the rest of the country.