Northwest Quantum Signal
May 22, 2026
The Northwest Quantum Nexus (NQN) connects quantum researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and investors across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and the Northwest to advance quantum technology, build a quantum-ready workforce, and position the region as a global hub for quantum innovation.
📍 NORTHWEST
IonQ Among Nine Companies Selected for $2B CHIPS Act Quantum Funding
May 21, 2026 · Bothell, WA / Washington, D.C.
IonQ, headquartered in Bothell, is set to receive approximately $100 million in federal CHIPS and Science Act funding as part of a landmark $2 billion Commerce Department investment in domestic quantum manufacturing. The funding will support expansion of IonQ's trapped-ion quantum computer production at its Bothell campus, the nation's first dedicated quantum manufacturing facility. IonQ joins IBM, Rigetti, Quantinuum, D-Wave, GlobalFoundries, Infleqtion, and Diraq among the nine recipients. The award deepens the federal government's commitment to the Pacific Northwest as a quantum manufacturing hub.
CHIPS Act quantum funding announcement
🇺🇸 NATIONAL
Commerce Department Announces $2 Billion in CHIPS Act Quantum Funding
May 21, 2026 · Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced letters of intent with nine quantum companies for roughly $2 billion in CHIPS and Science Act funding, the largest federal quantum investment to date. IBM is set to receive approximately $1 billion for a quantum foundry, with GlobalFoundries receiving about $375 million for qubit fabrication. D-Wave, Rigetti, Quantinuum, Infleqtion, IonQ, and Atom Computing will each receive roughly $100 million, while Australia-based Diraq will receive approximately $38 million. The government will take minority equity stakes in each company.
CHIPS Act quantum funding (NIST)
IBM and Commerce Department Unveil Anderon, America's First Quantum Chip Foundry
May 21, 2026 · Albany, NY / Washington, D.C.
IBM and the Department of Commerce announced Anderon, a new standalone company that will operate America's first purpose-built quantum chip foundry. Backed by a proposed $1 billion CHIPS incentive matched by $1 billion from IBM, Anderon will be headquartered in Albany, New York and operate a 300-millimeter quantum wafer fabrication line. The pure-play foundry plans to manufacture quantum processor units for multiple qubit technologies, positioning the United States to produce a majority of the world's quantum wafers.
IBM Anderon quantum foundry announcement
GlobalFoundries Launches Quantum Technology Solutions with $375M CHIPS Award
May 21, 2026 · Malta, NY
GlobalFoundries launched Quantum Technology Solutions, a new business unit dedicated to scaling quantum manufacturing on its 300-millimeter semiconductor platform. The company signed a letter of intent with the Commerce Department for $375 million in proposed CHIPS funding. The foundry will support multiple qubit approaches including superconducting, trapped ion, photonic, topological, and spin qubits, manufacturing quantum processor units, cryogenic control chips, and advanced interconnects. Quantum companies including Diraq, PsiQuantum, Google, Microsoft, and NVIDIA endorsed the initiative.
GlobalFoundries quantum technology solutions
Pasqal Demonstrates Logical Qubits Outperforming Physical Qubits on Real Hardware
May 21, 2026 · Massy, France
Pasqal published research demonstrating that logical qubits outperform physical qubits when solving differential equations on its neutral-atom quantum processor, an industry first. Using a [[4,2,2]] quantum error-detecting code, the team achieved an average error reduction of more than 50% and up to 10-fold accuracy improvement on certain nonlinear problems across 1,000 test equations. The processor operated at a baseline physical gate fidelity of 99.4%, suggesting that error-detected logical operations are becoming practical for near-term quantum advantage.
Pasqal logical qubit demonstration
🌍 INTERNATIONAL
France Commits Additional €1 Billion to National Quantum Plan
May 22, 2026 · Paris, France
President Emmanuel Macron announced an additional €1 billion investment in France's National Quantum Plan, bringing total public commitment to approximately €2.8 billion. The new funding will support quantum computing hardware manufacturers, expand the national quantum network testbed, and fund 500 new doctoral positions in quantum science. France is positioning itself as Europe's quantum leader, with major programs at CEA-Leti, Pasqal, Alice & Bob, and Quandela. The announcement came as the EU prepares a broader Quantum Act to coordinate member-state investments.
imec Presents World's First Quantum Dot Qubit Fabricated with High NA EUV Lithography
May 19, 2026 · Leuven, Belgium
Belgian research center imec demonstrated a quantum dot qubit device fabricated using High NA EUV lithography, a world first presented at ITF World. The breakthrough enables patterning of silicon quantum dot qubits with gaps of barely 6 nanometers between control electrodes, potentially allowing millions of qubits to be integrated on a single chip. By bringing quantum fabrication onto the same 300mm manufacturing roadmap as next-generation AI processors, the advance addresses what many consider the single biggest obstacle to commercially useful quantum computers.
imec High NA EUV qubit demonstration
Quantum Bridge Secures $8 Million to Scale Quantum-Safe Network Security
May 20, 2026 · Toronto, Canada
Quantum Bridge Technologies raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Primo Capital SGR to expand deployment of its quantum-safe cybersecurity systems. The company's technology is designed to protect critical infrastructure networks against future quantum computing threats by implementing quantum key distribution and post-quantum cryptographic protocols. The investment highlights growing commercial demand for quantum-safe communications as enterprises accelerate migration timelines ahead of anticipated cryptographically relevant quantum computers.
Quantum Bridge Series A funding
🏛 QUANTUM CENTER WATCH
QuantumCT Hub Launches Industry-Aligned Pilot Projects with UConn and Yale
May 20, 2026 · Connecticut · QuantumCT Tech Hub
The QuantumCT Tech Hub announced a series of industry-aligned pilot projects developed in partnership with the University of Connecticut and Yale University. The projects focus on quantum sensing for biomedical applications, quantum-secure communications for financial services, and workforce training programs designed with input from regional employers. QuantumCT was designated as a federal Tech Hub in 2023 and has been building Connecticut's quantum ecosystem around the state's strengths in precision manufacturing and defense.
Three Colorado Quantum Companies Each Secure $100M in CHIPS Act Funding
May 22, 2026 · Boulder / Louisville / Broomfield, CO · Elevate Quantum Tech Hub
Three Colorado-based quantum computing companies within the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub each signed letters of intent for approximately $100 million in CHIPS Act funding: Atom Computing in Boulder, Infleqtion in Louisville, and Quantinuum in Broomfield. The federal government will take minority equity stakes in each company. The awards reinforce Colorado's Front Range as a major quantum cluster alongside the Pacific Northwest, with the Elevate Quantum hub eligible for up to $1 billion in total EDA investment over the coming decade.
Colorado quantum CHIPS funding (Colorado Sun)
📅 UPCOMING NORTHWEST EVENTS
Seattle Deep Tech Week: Navigating the Classical-Quantum Gap
June 10, 2026 · 9:30 AM -- 12:00 PM · Seattle, WA (Deep Tech Week Seattle, June 8--12)
Morning session on bridging classical and quantum computing, followed by a hands-on quantum workshop (1:30--4:30 PM) led by engineers from AWS and IonQ, where participants will run jobs on a real trapped-ion quantum computer.
Quantum@UW REU Summer Research Program
June 21 -- August 29, 2026 · University of Washington, Seattle, WA
NSF-funded 10-week undergraduate research program in quantum information science and engineering. Participants conduct research ranging from quantum algorithms to hardware, with visits to Microsoft Quantum in Redmond and IonQ's Bothell fabrication facility.
Qiskit Global Summer School 2026 --- Seattle Watch Party
July 6, 2026 · Seattle, WA (venue TBA)
Local watch party hosted by the Seattle Quantum Computing Meetup for IBM's annual Qiskit Global Summer School, covering quantum algorithms, error mitigation, and hands-on programming. Registration expected to close by early June.
Northwest Quantum Signal is produced by the Northwest Quantum Nexus. nwquantum.uw.edu