Federal investment backed by the CHIPS Act aims to expand domestic quantum manufacturing and counter growing technological competition from China.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Thursday that it will invest $2 billion into nine American quantum computing firms, including IBM, as part of a major federal effort to strengthen domestic quantum technology manufacturing and maintain U.S. leadership in next-generation computing.
IBM will receive approximately $1 billion of the funding to launch a new subsidiary called Anderon, which the company described as “America’s first pure-play quantum foundry.”
In a statement, IBM said the initiative represents “one of the most significant commitments by the U.S. Government to date in quantum R&D to position the United States to manufacture most of the world’s quantum wafers.”
Quantum wafers are specialized semiconductor materials used to build quantum computing chips capable of operating under the extremely delicate conditions required for quantum mechanics-based computation.
Unlike conventional computers that process information using binary bits representing either 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously through a property known as superposition.
Quantum systems can also use entanglement, a phenomenon in which qubits become interconnected in ways that dramatically expand computational power and efficiency.
Because qubits are highly sensitive to environmental interference, the materials used to manufacture quantum processors must meet extraordinarily high standards of precision and purity.
IBM said it will match the federal award with an additional $1 billion investment into Anderon, with the company expecting additional outside investment as the venture expands.
The Commerce Department also awarded $375 million to GlobalFoundries to build a domestic facility capable of manufacturing components for multiple types of quantum computing systems.
Other companies receiving funding include D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, Infleqtion, and Diraq.
Diraq is expected to receive up to $38 million to address engineering and scaling challenges that have slowed development of more advanced quantum systems.
The investments are being funded through the CHIPS and Science Act, the $280 billion federal initiative passed in 2022 to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, and compete with China in advanced technology sectors.
In exchange for the funding, the Commerce Department said the federal government will receive minority, non-controlling equity stakes in each participating company.
“These strategic quantum technology investments will build on our domestic industry, creating thousands of high-paying American jobs while advancing American quantum capabilities,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
Interest in quantum computing has accelerated sharply in recent years as researchers and investors pursue systems capable of solving problems far beyond the reach of today’s most powerful supercomputers.
Potential applications include drug discovery, advanced materials development, logistics optimization, financial modeling, cryptography, and artificial intelligence.
According to McKinsey & Company, quantum computing could generate up to $1.3 trillion in economic value globally by 2035.
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