Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT) has finalized an agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce for USD$100 million in federal quantum computing funding.
The company said Tuesday the award will support research and domestic manufacturing for its trapped-ion quantum computers. Additionally, the funding comes through the CHIPS and Science Act.
Quantinuum plans to use the money to develop technology needed for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers. The agreement follows a letter of intent announced in May.
Meanwhile, the project will expand Quantinuum’s U.S. supply chain through partnerships with GlobalFoundries Inc. (NASDAQ: GFS) and Monarch Quantum. The companies will supply semiconductor, laser and optical technologies for future quantum systems.
Quantinuum builds computers that use electrically charged atoms, called ions, as quantum bits or qubits. Conventional computers store information as bits representing either zero or one.
Quantum computers work differently because qubits can represent combinations of zero and one while calculations are underway. Consequently, researchers can manipulate groups of qubits to tackle certain problems differently from conventional machines.
Quantinuum traps individual ions using electromagnetic fields and controls them with precisely aimed lasers. The ions act as qubits while their quantum states carry information through a calculation.
However, quantum states are extremely fragile, and environmental disturbances can introduce errors into calculations. Fault-tolerant systems use error-correction techniques designed to detect and repair those mistakes without destroying the quantum information.
Quantinuum said the federal award will help develop the manufacturing infrastructure required to scale that approach. Additionally, the company wants to improve the reliability and repeatability of components used across its machines.
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Quantinuum building supply chain needed to scale fault-tolerant systems
GlobalFoundries will become one of several foundries producing Quantinuum’s next-generation ion traps and supporting electronics. The partnership will also focus specifically on manufacturing components using 300-millimetre wafer technology.
GlobalFoundries chief executive Tim Breen said semiconductor manufacturing expertise could help Quantinuum make its trapped-ion hardware more scalable and reliable. He also connected the partnership to expanding American quantum technology manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Monarch Quantum plans to develop and manufacture lasers and optical components for Quantinuum’s systems. The companies aim to replace complicated optical arrangements with more integrated photonics technology.
Monarch Quantum chief executive Timothy Day said large trapped-ion systems require scalable and dependable optical hardware. Further, the partnership aims to strengthen the domestic supply chain supporting those components.
Quantinuum chief executive Rajeeb Hazra described the award as recognition of the company’s trapped-ion technology. He said Quantinuum and its partners are building the supply chain needed to scale fault-tolerant systems.
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