The US is betting big on quantum, committing $2bn in government funding to nine companies as it races to build a domestic quantum computing industry.
The US Department of Commerce announced yesterday that it is proposing $bn in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act, targeting two domestic quantum computing companies and seven quantum computing firms. The funds are aimed at solving the most critical technical challenges in the race to develop consumer-grade, fault-tolerant quantum computers.
The largest share goes to IBM, which is using the $1bn CHIPS award to launch Anderon, a private company and what it says will be the first pure-play US quantum chip. Headquartered in Albany, New York, Anderon will serve as a 300-millimeter quantum wafer processor serving multiple quantum hardware vendors.
IBM will match the government’s contribution to its $1bn capital, as well as intellectual property, assets, and skilled workers, with more investors expected as Anderon grows.
GlobalFoundries receives $375m to launch Quantum Technology Solutions, a new quantum business built on its decade of cryogenic CMOS, advanced packaging, and materials science investments. The Malta, New York-based foundry will produce the full stack of quantum hardware, from quantum processor units to cryogenic readout and control chips, offering multiple qubit structures including superconducting, trapped ion, photonic, topological, and silicon spin. The new business starts with existing customers that include Diraq, PsiQuantum, Quantinuum, Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
Among the seven quantum computing companies receiving funding is Quantinuum, which has signed a $100m letter of intent to develop low-loss integrated photonics and special optical components tuned to critical wavelengths. The company plans to partner with GlobalFoundries for semiconductor core components, and Monarch Quantum for integrated graphics.
“This investment in quantum technology will build our domestic industry, creating thousands of high-paying American jobs while advancing America’s quantum capabilities,” said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The CHIPS R&D Office said it is taking a portfolio approach to strengthen US leadership across multiple disciplines simultaneously, while focusing each award on real-world technical problems. The remaining $538m in funding is distributed between Atom Computing, Diraq, D-Wave, Infleqtion, PsiQuantum, and Rigetti Computing.
Quantum computing, the department said, has important implications for national security, advanced materials and biopharmaceutical discovery, financial modeling, and energy systems. The announcement comes as Quantinum is also preparing for a Nasdaq IPO.
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