IBM Pours $2 Billion into Quantum Wafer Foundry
IBM has finalized a $1 billion award under the CHIPS and Science Act for its subsidiary Anderon, which runs a 300-millimeter pure-play quantum wafer foundry in New York. This comes after IBM announced a letter of intent with Commerce in May. The funding will be used for research and development, and IBM is also backing Anderon with an additional $1 billion.
The award is part of a larger effort to support the growth of domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Other companies, including Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, and Quantinuum, have signed deals with Commerce worth $100 million each in exchange for equity stakes.
IBM's quantum roadmap requires a scalable manufacturing foundation, according to Jay Gambetta, director of IBM Research. First wafers are already running through the Anderon facility, which serves customers beyond IBM, including D-Wave.