IBM Plans $2 Billion Quantum Foundry Push With New U.S. Quantum Manufacturing Venture

IBM and the U.S. Department of Commerce are planning a major push into domestic quantum manufacturing through a new standalone company called Anderon, which would become America’s first pure-play quantum wafer foundry.

Under a newly announced Letter of Intent, the U.S. government would provide $1 billion in CHIPS incentives to support research and development for the venture, while IBM would contribute an additional $1 billion in cash along with intellectual property, manufacturing assets, and technical expertise.

The proposed foundry, to be headquartered in Albany, New York, is designed to strengthen U.S. leadership in quantum computing and establish domestic manufacturing capacity for quantum wafers — a critical component for future large-scale quantum systems.

The initiative reflects how quantum computing is increasingly being treated not just as an emerging technology sector but as a strategic national infrastructure priority tied to economic competitiveness and national security.

Unlike traditional semiconductor fabs focused on classical chips, Anderon would specialize in manufacturing 300-millimeter quantum wafers designed for quantum computing systems. IBM said the foundry would initially support superconducting qubit technologies before potentially expanding into additional quantum hardware modalities.

The company plans to operate as a pure-play foundry model, manufacturing wafers not only for IBM but also for other quantum hardware vendors globally. That approach mirrors the role traditional semiconductor foundries such as TSMC play in the classical chip industry.

IBM said the foundry would provide advanced manufacturing capabilities including superconducting wiring, through-silicon vias, wafer testing, and scalable production infrastructure aimed at accelerating commercialization of quantum hardware.

The timing is significant because the global quantum industry is entering a transition phase from laboratory research toward industrial-scale manufacturing and commercialization.

Governments worldwide are increasingly viewing quantum computing as a strategic technology race comparable to semiconductors and AI infrastructure. Quantum systems are expected to eventually tackle problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers, including advanced materials discovery, drug development, financial modeling, optimization, and cryptography.

IBM estimates the quantum sector could generate up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040.

The company also emphasized its existing scale in the market. IBM says it has deployed more than 90 quantum systems globally and built a quantum ecosystem involving over 325 Fortune 500 companies, startups, universities, and government agencies.

CEO Arvind Krishna said the Department of Commerce incentives would help accelerate U.S. quantum leadership and strengthen America’s long-term quantum manufacturing capabilities.

The announcement also aligns with broader U.S. efforts to localize strategic technology supply chains through the CHIPS program, which initially focused on semiconductor manufacturing but is now increasingly extending into adjacent advanced computing sectors such as quantum technologies.

IBM said the initiative would support its broader goal of delivering the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029