A massive new US government investment in quantum computing might just signal a major turning point in quantum. But not because of the money …
dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
It just might be the Pinocchio moment in quantum computing: an occasion marking the moment the entire space grew up and, instead of becoming a real boy, became a real industry. GlobalFoundries’ new Quantum Technology Solutions business has launched a dedicated quantum manufacturing arm, backed by a $375 million CHIPS R&D grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The goal: build a company that supplies the entire quantum computing ecosystem with quantum processors.
That’s significant.
For most of its existence, quantum computing has been less an industry than a collection of science projects with gobs of venture funding. Every company built everything itself: the qubits, the control electronics, the packaging, the cryogenic plumbing. Each machine was pretty much a bespoke one-off, hand-assembled by high-end engineers with custom everything. That’s roughly where classical computing was five decades ago, and while that model can produce incredible tech, impressive demos and maybe even world-changing quantum computers, it’s not really a factory. It’s not really something that can take quantum computing from the lab to everywhere anyone wants a quantum computer.
The new GlobalFoundries business is launching with customers across nearly every competing approach to building a quantum computer: PsiQuantum (photonics), Quantinuum (trapped ions), Diraq and Quantum Motion (silicon spin qubits) and Equal1, with public support from Google Quantum AI, Microsoft and Nvidia.
That means this isn’t just a fab for a single technology. It’s a structural change: an ecosystem company.
When a foundry steps in to manufacture quantum processors, control chips and interconnects for other companies across multiple qubit modalities and on standard 300mm production lines, you’re kind of watching the birth of a supply chain.
That’s the same separation of design from manufacturing that turned semiconductors from a vertically integrated niche into a trillion-dollar ecosystem, and it’s the pattern every maturing hardware industry eventually follows.
A cottage industry doesn’t need a foundry. An ecosystem does.
To dig into what this means for timelines, for the manufacturing problems that have kept quantum stuck at prototype scale and for the geopolitics of who gets there first, I interviewed Nicholas Sergeant, who heads Quantum Technology Solutions at GlobalFoundries.
John Koetsier: Big picture: what are you doing? What’s the new initiative?
Nicholas Sergeant: Quantum Technology Solutions is about turning quantum research into manufacturable reality. The biggest barrier facing the industry is not the vision for quantum computing, it’s the ability to produce quantum devices at scale, with repeatable processes and a reliable supply chain. GlobalFoundries has spent years building the capabilities and foundational technologies needed to help close that gap. With this new business, we’re opening those capabilities to the broader quantum ecosystem and working with customers and partners across multiple qubit modalities, including PsiQuantum, Quantinuum, Diraq, Equal1 and Quantum Motion.
John Koetsier: What does this say about the state of quantum computing? Are we at an inflection point here?
Nicholas Sergeant: Yes, we believe the industry is at an inflection point. For years, quantum hardware largely lived in research environments, but the complexity required is now pushing beyond what labs can realistically scale. Qubit counts and error-rate requirements are reaching the threshold where manufacturing now needs to lead the approach. A million-qubit system can’t be built in a lab, so we’re addressing that challenge with clear manufacturing paths for our quantum-optimized semiconductor technologies.
John Koetsier: You’re drawing a parallel between quantum processors and CPUs/GPUs as the foundational layer of future HPC. Your thoughts on timeline for this to be true?
Nicholas Sergeant: CPUs and GPUs have defined the last decade of high-performance computing. Looking ahead, we see quantum processor units (QPUs) as part of the next major computing stack. We anticipate the number of qubits for systems to increase by multiple orders of magnitude over the next 3 to 5 years as we head down the path to utility-scale quantum computing. GF provides the tooling and technology expertise to help build that complete stack, combining QPUs, control ICs and interconnects into full-system architectures with repeatable manufacturing flows.
John Koetsier: The government equity stake … interesting. Why, and does it constrain your options?
Nicholas Sergeant: At GF, we see the national and economic importance of establishing a domestic quantum manufacturing base on U.S. soil. This is what American manufacturing leadership looks like in practice, and we’re playing a central part.
We see the equity investment from the U.S. government as a long-term vote of confidence in GF’s overall strategy across our full technology portfolio, including quantum, and in the importance of our manufacturing footprint in New York and Vermont.
John Koetsier: What’s the $375M for, generally?
Nicholas Sergeant: The Department of Commerce’s CHIPS R&D Office awarded a new $375 million grant, specifically to accelerate the build-out of Quantum Technology Solutions. This is in addition to prior CHIPS-related commitments GF received in 2024.
Broadly, it goes toward the manufacturing platforms and capabilities that utility-scale quantum systems depend on, including cryogenic CMOS, QPU fabrication across multiple qubit modalities, and the cryogenic and superconducting heterogeneous interconnects needed to bring those systems together. This grant funds the acceleration of this qualification to build alongside GF’s own multi-year investment and the customer commitments already in place.
John Koetsier: You plan to support superconducting, trapped ion, photonic, topological, and spin qubits, correct? How’s that possible, and is this essentially a hedge so you win no matter what tech proves best?
Nicholas Sergeant: Our approach is to build the manufacturing infrastructure and technology platforms essential for next-generation quantum computers across all modalities. The best examples are our cryogenic CMOS, 3D heterogeneous interconnect and advanced packaging solutions that are critical building blocks for multiple modalities.
John Koetsier: What are the two or three hardest manufacturing problems that have kept quantum companies stuck at prototype scale, and how does GF specifically solve them?
Nicholas Sergeant: Three challenges stand out. The first is the yield and reliability of the products, which we can solve by leveraging our 300mm state-of-the-art tooling capabilities and deep manufacturing expertise. Achieving the low-loss, low-noise characteristics required at millikelvin temperatures demands extremely tight process control, which we are already demonstrating today at scale across our fabs.
The second is access to 2.5/3D packaging solutions — how you bring together the QPU, control electronics, photonics, and interconnects in a way that is both manufacturable and repeatable. Our 3D heterogeneous integration platform is specifically designed to combine these technologies into system-level modules.
The third is cycle time and speed of execution — quantum companies are looking for access to run experiments quickly and with a broad set of capabilities. Taking a product from the lab to commercial production requires several learning cycles. That’s where multi-year partnerships with GF, which has the technology, tooling, and production capabilities to support those cycles, can make the difference.
John Koetsier: What yield rates and qubit counts are realistic on an industrial manufacturing process right now, versus what’s been achieved in lab environments?
Nicholas Sergeant: There is still a real gap between what can be achieved in lab settings and what can be delivered through industrial manufacturing. Closing that gap is exactly why Quantum Technology Solutions was launched. Research teams are demonstrating impressive progress, including systems in the hundreds of logical qubits for the most advanced modalities. The industrial challenge is to translate that progress into repeatable performance at much higher volumes in the millions of qubits and beyond. That is the transition we are focused on enabling.
John Koetsier: Google Quantum AI, Microsoft, and NVIDIA all are supporting this … will they be customers?
Nicholas Sergeant: We’re honored to have the support of these companies. What we can say is that engagement from across the ecosystem is real and has accelerated over the last several years. The reason is straightforward: the manufacturing capability gap remains one of the biggest constraints on the industry’s progress. Companies across the quantum and computing landscape recognize that solving that challenge matters not only for technological advancement, but also for economic and national security. GlobalFoundries has been investing in quantum for years, and that growing support reflects the strength of that position.
John Koetsier: What are your thoughts on geopolitical ramifications of losing the quantum computing race?
Nicholas Sergeant: Quantum computing has become a national priority because the stakes are larger than any one company or one technology platform. We are building Quantum Technology Solutions on U.S. soil in New York and Vermont, while serving global customers and partners in line with U.S. export-control rules. The broader point is that establishing trusted, domestic manufacturing capability will be important to both economic competitiveness and national security.
John Koetsier: Thank you for your time!
Read More
John Koetsier