Anderon, an IBM company focused on quantum wafer manufacturing, has finalized a $1 billion award under the CHIPS and Science Act with the U.S. Department of Commerce to accelerate research and development for its U.S.-based pure-play quantum foundry.
The agreement follows a letter of intent announced in May between the Department of Commerce and IBM. The new federal funding will support Anderon’s efforts to expand U.S. quantum wafer manufacturing capabilities and increase access to production-scale technology for companies developing next-generation quantum computing systems.
Anderon operates a 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry in Albany, New York, and is backed by an additional $1 billion investment from IBM.
The combination of the federal CHIPS award and IBM’s investment gives the company a significant capital base for building out domestic quantum manufacturing infrastructure.
Unlike a vertically integrated quantum computing company that manufactures primarily for its own systems, Anderon is positioning itself as a pure-play foundry serving customers across the broader quantum ecosystem.
That model is intended to give quantum hardware developers access to advanced fabrication capabilities without requiring them to build their own semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure.
Anderon currently produces specialized wafers supporting superconducting qubit arrays, quantum input/output signaling and readout signal chain components.
These technologies are foundational to quantum computing systems because they support the physical components responsible for processing, communicating and reading quantum information.
The company plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities into additional quantum modalities over time.
Anderon has already begun running its first quantum wafers through the Albany facility.
The milestone moves the operation beyond a purely research-stage manufacturing environment and demonstrates its ability to translate pre-production quantum research into manufacturing-grade wafer technology.
That transition could become increasingly important as the quantum computing industry moves toward larger systems and more commercially viable architectures.
Quantum processors remain difficult to manufacture at scale because they require extremely precise materials, fabrication processes and device consistency.
Many quantum computing companies have historically depended on research facilities, custom fabrication lines or specialized semiconductor partners to produce their devices.
A dedicated foundry model could potentially give the industry more standardized access to advanced manufacturing capacity.
Anderon’s Albany facility is designed around a 300-millimeter semiconductor manufacturing platform, a format widely used in advanced chip production because larger wafers can support more devices per manufacturing run.
The company said its fabrication capabilities are supported by existing quantum intellectual property, a specialized workforce and billions of dollars in previous investment at the site.
For IBM, Anderon also provides manufacturing infrastructure that can support its own quantum computing roadmap.
IBM has been developing increasingly sophisticated quantum processors and systems, and scalable fabrication is becoming more important as the company works toward larger and more capable quantum machines.
By separating the foundry operation into Anderon, IBM can maintain access to advanced quantum fabrication while also opening the manufacturing platform to other customers across the industry.
The federal investment also reflects the expanding scope of U.S. semiconductor policy.
While the CHIPS and Science Act has been associated primarily with conventional semiconductor fabrication, advanced packaging and leading-edge logic manufacturing, quantum computing is increasingly being treated as another strategic technology requiring domestic production capacity.
The $1 billion award positions quantum wafer manufacturing as part of the broader effort to strengthen U.S. technology supply chains and reduce dependence on overseas manufacturing infrastructure.
Anderon argues that scalable quantum manufacturing will be critical as the technology moves from laboratory research toward larger commercial deployments.
Potential quantum applications include advanced materials, chemistry, optimization and cybersecurity.
But achieving those applications at meaningful scale will require the industry to manufacture quantum processors and related components more consistently and in much larger quantities than today’s research-oriented systems.
Anderon is attempting to provide the manufacturing foundation for that shift.
The company said its foundry can help accelerate innovation by giving customers access to production-scale fabrication while also strengthening domestic supply chains and supporting a broader U.S. quantum ecosystem.
The strategy also mirrors developments elsewhere in the semiconductor industry.
Pure-play chip foundries have played an important role in allowing semiconductor designers to focus on architecture and product development rather than owning expensive fabrication plants.
Anderon is attempting to apply a similar model to quantum hardware.
If successful, quantum startups and established technology companies could potentially design their own processors or subsystems while relying on Anderon for the specialized wafer fabrication required to manufacture them.
The $1 billion CHIPS award therefore represents both an R&D investment and a broader effort to build shared infrastructure for the quantum computing industry.
With IBM contributing another $1 billion and the Albany foundry already processing its first wafers, Anderon now has substantial resources to expand capacity, refine manufacturing processes and support customers working across multiple quantum architectures.
KEY QUOTES:
“This agreement with the Department of Commerce strengthens our ability to deliver the manufacturing scale the quantum industry needs. We’re building a foundation that will let quantum move from research breakthroughs to real-world impact.”
Mukesh Khare, CEO of Anderon
“IBM’s quantum roadmap requires a manufacturing foundation that can scale at the pace our work demands. Anderon’s focus on wafer fabrication gives us exactly that and strengthens our ability to execute and accelerate progress toward the next era of quantum computing.”
Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow
