U.S. Government Commits $2 Billion to Boost Quantum Computing

How the $2 Billion Federal Quantum Computing Investment Reshapes U.S. Tech Strategy

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on May 21, 2026, the signing of nine letters of intent to provide $2.013 billion in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act. The funding targets a portfolio of domestic quantum companies spanning foundries and hardware developers with the goal of accelerating fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computing to counter growing competition from China and secure American technological leadership.

IBM will receive the largest share at $1 billion to establish Anderon, the country's first purpose-built quantum foundry, while IBM itself will contribute a matching $1 billion investment. Other recipients include GlobalFoundries at approximately $375 million, and companies such as D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, Quantinuum, and Infleqtion, each set to receive roughly $100 million in exchange for equity stakes.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated the investments reflect a commitment to advancing American manufacturing, research, and microelectronics innovation in frontier technologies, including national defense, biopharmaceutical discovery, and financial modeling.

Quantum computing stocks responded sharply to the news, with shares of companies not directly included also climbing; Arqit rose 25%, IonQ gained 12%, and Quantum Computing added 19%. The equity-stake structure signals a more direct government financial role than traditional grant programs, aligning federal and commercial interests in the sector.

IBM has targeted quantum advantage by the end of 2026 and fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029, with Q-CTRL already reporting a 3,000-times speedup on a materials discovery problem using IBM's quantum platform. McKinsey estimates the combined quantum technology market could reach $97 billion by 2035 and $198 billion by 2040.

“We see this as a transformative moment for not just D-Wave, but also for quantum computing and the United States,” said D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz.