IBM announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce to establish America’s first purpose-built quantum chip foundry through a new standalone company called Anderon. The initiative is backed by a proposed $1 billion CHIPS incentive award from the Department of Commerce and an additional $1 billion cash contribution from IBM, along with intellectual property, assets, and workforce support.
Headquartered in Albany, New York, Anderon will operate as a 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry focused on advancing domestic quantum manufacturing capabilities. IBM said the company is designed to support multiple quantum hardware vendors globally and strengthen the United States’ leadership position in the growing quantum computing industry.
According to IBM, Anderon will initially focus on wafer fabrication for superconducting qubit technologies and supporting electronics wafers, while also planning to expand into additional quantum modalities over time. The foundry is expected to provide advanced manufacturing capabilities, including superconducting wiring, through-silicon vias, wafer testing, characterization, and rapid process iteration.
IBM said the initiative builds on decades of quantum computing leadership and semiconductor fabrication expertise. The company noted that it has already developed and tested scalable quantum wafer technology and has deployed more than 90 quantum systems globally.
The company also highlighted the broader economic significance of the quantum sector, citing estimates that quantum computing could generate up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040. IBM said the new foundry is intended to support American innovation, strengthen national security, and create thousands of high-paying jobs.
The Department of Commerce said the proposed investment reflects a major federal commitment to strengthening domestic quantum research and development capabilities. Officials emphasized the importance of quantum technologies for national defense, materials science, energy systems, financial modeling, and biopharmaceutical discovery.
IBM added that it continues to pursue its broader mission of delivering large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing systems and is targeting the delivery of the world’s first commercial large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029.
The launch of Anderon remains subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements between IBM and the Department of Commerce.
KEY QUOTES:
“With today’s CHIPS Research and Development investments in quantum computing, the Trump administration is leading the world into a new era of American innovation. These strategic quantum technology investments will build on our domestic industry, creating thousands of high-paying American jobs while advancing American quantum capabilities.”
Howard Lutnick, Secretary Of Commerce
“The Department of Commerce’s incentives strengthen and accelerate U.S. quantum leadership and technological resilience. Quantum computing has significant implications for national defense, advanced materials and biopharmaceutical discovery, financial modeling and energy systems.”
Bill Frauenhofer, Executive Director Of Semiconductor Investment And Innovation
“IBM has pioneered quantum computing for decades. Our work in silicon wafer fabrication has been a key to IBM’s success and will be critical to enable a broader quantum technology landscape that will reshape global innovation and economic competitiveness. With the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Anderon will be well-positioned to fuel America’s fast-growing quantum technology industry.”
Arvind Krishna, Chairman And CEO, IBM
