IonQ, Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, and Others
The Donald Trump administration is in negotiations to secure equity stakes in several quantum computing companies in exchange for federal funding, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on October 22 (local time).
According to the WSJ, citing sources, IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum are discussing the possibility of granting the U.S. government equity stakes as a condition for receiving funding from the government’s promising technology support programs. Quantum Computing and Atom Computing are also reportedly considering similar arrangements.
Each company is discussing the possibility of receiving at least $10 million in federal support. Other technology companies are also expected to compete for this funding.
Negotiations with the quantum computing companies have not yet been finalized and could change. According to the Commerce Department’s business announcement documents, the conditions may include not only equity stakes but also special permits, intellectual property licenses, royalties, and revenue sharing.
The WSJ explained that this signals the Trump administration’s increasing intervention in quantum computing, viewing it as a core sector of the economy.
According to sources, the person leading the negotiations between the quantum computing industry and the government is Paul Dabbar, who was nominated in February of this year and took office in June as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce.
After serving as Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy during Trump’s first term, he co-founded a quantum computing company called Bohr Quantum Technologies and served as its CEO for four years. However, a Commerce Department official stated that this company is not included among the recipients of the current funding.
The Trump administration’s policy direction for its second term is to secure federal government equity stakes in key industrial sector companies in return for support. In August, the administration agreed to receive a 10% stake in Intel in exchange for the support funds promised by the previous Joe Biden administration, making the federal government the largest shareholder in Intel.
In July, MP Materials, the largest rare earth producer in the United States, announced that the Department of Defense would invest $400 million in the company to acquire a 15% stake, thereby becoming its largest shareholder.
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