CHIPS Office Pledges $2 Billion for Quantum Computing
The Department of Commerce signed letters of intent with nine tech companies to bolster domestic manufacturing and national security.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- May 21, 2026
Federal officials announced Thursday, May 21, the signing of nine letters of intent to provide $2.013 billion in incentives aimed at accelerating the domestic manufacturing and development of quantum computing technologies.
The funding, allocated through the CHIPS Research and Development Office under the CHIPS and Science Act, will distribute capital across a portfolio of two domestic quantum foundries and seven quantum computing companies. According to officials, the investments are designed to solve critical engineering bottlenecks and strengthen the United States' position in national defense, advanced materials, and technological resilience.
As a condition of the funding, the federal government will receive a minority, non-controlling equity stake in each participating company to enhance returns for taxpayers.
Industry analysts noted the decision to take equity stakes signals a major shift in how the government views the maturity of the technology. Rebecca Krauthamer, chief executive of cybersecurity firm QuSecure, said the move marks a transition from viewing quantum computing as a speculative venture to treating it as critical national infrastructure.
The strategy also highlights a market-driven approach to an ongoing technological race with global competitors. While nations like China utilize centralized, state-run programs, the U.S. model distributes parallel investments across competing technological architectures, allowing market forces to determine the most viable solutions.
The incentives target two distinct areas of the quantum ecosystem: manufacturing infrastructure and development modalities.
The commerce department proposed $1.375 million in combined funding for two quantum foundries to anchor domestic production capacity. IBM is slated to receive $1 billion to establish a new quantum foundry subsidiary focused on quantum-grade superconducting wafers. GlobalFoundries will receive $375 million to develop a secure domestic foundry supporting multiple large-scale quantum computing architectures.
The remaining funds will target seven computing firms working to solve specific engineering hurdles, including error rates, hardware miniaturization and device reproducibility.
Atom Computing, D-Wave, Infleqtion, PsiQuantum, Quantinuum and Rigetti are each scheduled to receive up to $100 million in planned funding to advance their respective technological approaches, which span neutral-atom, superconducting, photonic and trapped-ion systems. Silicon-spin developer Diraq is slated to receive up to $38 million.
While the funding aims to accelerate quantum capabilities, experts warn the rapid advancement of the technology underscores an escalating risk to existing digital security frameworks. Quantum computers possess the theoretical capability to break standard encryption methods currently used to protect sensitive financial, medical and governmental data.
Federal deadlines for organizations to migrate to post-quantum cryptography standards are currently phased between 2027 and 2035. However, the accelerated funding on the development side may pressure Washington to compress those defensive timelines to prevent a security gap.
The CHIPS Research and Development Office is continuing to solicit proposals from eligible applicants for microelectronics innovations through its official federal portals.