GlobalFoundries said on Sept. 8 that it has finalized a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce's CHIPS Research and Development Office for an award of up to $375 million over five years, tied to hitting specified milestones. The money is earmarked for the company's Quantum Technology Solutions (QTS) unit, created to help scale domestic manufacturing for quantum computing.

The award is meant to close a gap that has dogged the field: quantum processors remain largely a laboratory product, and the companies pursuing them have struggled to move from research and prototyping into commercial-scale production. GF says its focus is on cryogenic CMOS technologies, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration - the unglamorous manufacturing layers that decide whether quantum chips can be built in volume at all.

GF also disclosed a separate $300 million letter of intent with the same CHIPS office to accelerate R&D in silicon photonics. The company frames both bets as foundational to future AI infrastructure and advanced computing, and says the completed agreement furthers an effort to stand up a secure, U.S.-based quantum semiconductor supply chain.

The deal fits a broader push by Washington to onshore quantum manufacturing. As with other CHIPS awards, however, the funds are contingent on milestones, and GF cautions in its own filing language that timelines and expected benefits may shift.

Sources