U.S. quantum grants stocks moved higher after federal officials announced planned CHIPS Act incentives for nine companies working on quantum computing hardware and manufacturing.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Thursday, May 21, 2026, that it had signed letters of intent for $2.013 billion in planned federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act. The funding is intended to accelerate U.S. leadership in quantum computing, a field tied to national security, advanced materials, drug discovery, financial modeling and energy systems.
IBM Leads U.S. Quantum Grants With Anderon Foundry Plan
IBM is the largest proposed recipient, with $1 billion in planned funding to establish a new quantum foundry subsidiary. IBM said the project will support Anderon, a standalone company based in Albany, New York, designed as a 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry. IBM also said it plans to contribute $1 billion in cash to the initiative.
The planned foundry is meant to support superconducting quantum wafers and eventually serve multiple quantum technology vendors. IBM said the project could help strengthen domestic quantum manufacturing and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains.
D-Wave, Rigetti and Other Quantum Firms Also Benefit
The planned funding also includes $375 million for GlobalFoundries and about $100 million each for D-Wave, Infleqtion, PsiQuantum, Quantinuum and Atom Computing. Rigetti could receive up to $100 million, while Diraq could receive up to $38 million.
Investors reacted quickly. Reuters reported that shares of companies involved in the deal rose between 6% and 31% after the announcement, as the funding signaled stronger federal backing for the quantum computing sector.
Why Quantum Stocks Rallied
The rally reflects investor interest in government-backed technology sectors, especially areas linked to U.S. competitiveness with China. However, the funding is still based on letters of intent, and final terms must be completed before the awards are fully executed.
For investors, the announcement does not remove the technical risks facing quantum computing. Practical, large-scale quantum systems still face major hurdles, including error rates, hardware reliability and manufacturing scale. But the federal commitment gives the sector a stronger policy tailwind and could keep quantum stocks in focus.
