American quantum computing systems developer PsiQuantum has officially finalized an agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive a government grant of $100 million. This step is part of the implementation of the federal CHIPS and Science Act program, aimed at strengthening the country's technological sovereignty.
The funding will be directed toward conducting research and organizing local production of critically important hardware components, such as optical switches and single-photon detectors. These elements form the foundation of the architecture of quantum machines being developed by PsiQuantum.
The company's technological approach is based on silicon photonics, which allows for the creation of fault-tolerant quantum computers using standard semiconductor fabrication plants. As PsiQuantum CEO Victor Peng emphasizes, the received funds will enable the relocation of key supply chain links to U.S. territory and significantly accelerate the equipment assembly process.
GlobalFoundries remains the startup's main manufacturing partner, with collaboration with this plant ongoing since 2019. Notably, in 2025 alone, PsiQuantum invested about $200 million in developing the base of American suppliers, underscoring the seriousness of the company's intentions to localize production.
Additionally, in July 2026, the startup signed a $125 million contract with the defense agency DARPA. Under this initiative, the U.S. government is testing commercial approaches to creating practically useful quantum computing systems.
This grant is only part of a much larger government strategy. Back in May 2026, the Department of Commerce announced a plan to invest $2 billion in the development of the domestic quantum industry. The funds are distributed among nine companies: half the amount ($1 billion) is preliminarily reserved for IBM, while GlobalFoundries will receive $375 million to build manufacturing capacity. The remaining seven startups, including PsiQuantum, Atom Computing, and D-Wave, will split the remaining funds to address engineering challenges.
An important detail: in exchange for subsidies, the government receives minority stakes in all participating companies in the program. This signals an unprecedented level of government involvement in the development of the quantum ecosystem.
In parallel, related areas are also being actively tested in the U.S. — for example, the QuProtect R3 post-quantum cryptography platform from QuSecure has already passed trials on U.S. Army tactical systems during Project Convergence exercises.
My comment: The decision for the government to take equity stakes in quantum companies is a tectonic shift in the public-private partnership model. We are witnessing not just financial support, but an attempt by Washington to create a strategic foothold in the race for quantum supremacy, where the stakes are immeasurably higher than in the traditional semiconductor industry.