IBM Announces First Purpose-Built Quantum Foundry

IBM and the US Department of Commerce (DoC) announced a Letter of Intent to build an American quantum chip foundry. The CHIPS incentive from the DoC will support the research and development efforts of a new IBM company, Anderon, which will be America's first pure-play quantum foundry.

In addition to the $1 billion in CHIPS incentives provided by the DoC, IBM will contribute $1 billion of cash into Anderon, along with IBM investing significant intellectual property, assets, and a skilled workforce, with additional investors expected as Anderon grows. Headquartered in Albany, New York, as a standalone company, Anderon will operate as a state-of-the-art 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry. It will help the nation solidify its leadership at the center of a thriving new quantum industry that is estimated to generate up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040 and spur American economic growth while also bolstering national security.

IBM plans to use its expertise in fabrication tools and specialized talent to help Anderon build a secure, US-based supply of quantum wafers for multiple hardware vendors. Anderon will first support wafer fabrication for superconducting qubit and supporting electronics wafers, to expand into other quantum modalities. From the start, Anderon will be prepared to serve as the anchor for a national ecosystem for quantum wafer manufacturing, ensuring IBM and other quantum companies can catalyze the production of scalable quantum technologies within the United States.

Anderon’s forthcoming 300mm wafer processes are expected to offer the most advanced quantum wafer technologies. These include superconducting wiring, through-silicon vias and bumps, and are backed by established production capabilities such as dedicated process design kits, in-line wafer testing and characterization, and established baseline routes that enable rapid iteration and reliable scalability.