US issues $2B+ in grants to IBM, others for quantum computing initiatives

The US Commerce Department will allocate $2.013 billion in grants to IBM Corp., GlobalFoundries Inc., and seven other companies to accelerate quantum computing development. IBM will receive the largest share—$1 billion—to establish Anderon, a new foundry specializing in 300-millimeter quantum wafers for superconducting quantum computers. The company will match the federal investment, focusing initially on superconducting qubits but later expanding to other architectures. GlobalFoundries will get $375 million to launch a quantum chip manufacturing business, supporting superconducting, trapped ion, and photonic designs. The company already supplies cryogenic CMOS chips for quantum systems and photonic components for PsiQuantum’s light-based processors. The government will take equity stakes in participating firms, with GlobalFoundries issuing shares for about a 1% stake. Two companies, Atom Computing and Infleqtion, will each receive $100 million to develop quantum computers using neutral atoms as qubits, while PsiQuantum gets the same amount for its light-based qubit technology. Quantinuum will also benefit from the grants, focusing on trapped ion quantum processors. The funding aims to transition quantum hardware from laboratory experiments to large-scale industrial production. The announcement follows the US government’s recent 10% stake in Intel, which is developing silicon spin qubit chips. The grants reflect growing US investment in quantum technology, positioning the country as a leader in this emerging field.