PsiQuantum Finalizes $100 Million Award with the U.S. Department of Commerce
Federal R&D Award Under the CHIPS and Science Act Will Advance PsiQuantum’s R&D for the Manufacturing of Critical Components in America
PsiQuantum personnel inside the fiber attach assembly facility at PsiFactory in Milpitas, California. PsiQuantum’s chip-to-fiber coupling technology performs beyond-state-of-the-art, and the company’s award from the Department of Commerce will enable the company to accelerate its advanced packaging technology. (Credit: PsiQuantum)
September 8, 2026
PALO ALTO, Calif. — PsiQuantum announced today that the company has signed definitive documentation with the U.S. Department of Commerce for a $100 million award to strengthen American leadership in quantum computing and semiconductor supply-chain security. In May 2026, the company announced that it had signed a letter of intent with the Department for $100 million in proposed federal research and development (R&D) funding.
With federal funding made possible through the CHIPS and Science Act, combined with co-investment by the company in the project, PsiQuantum will accelerate the R&D, domestic manufacturability, and performance of its state-of-the-art critical components, including high-performance optical switches, high-temperature single-photon detectors, and advanced packaging approaches.
“America’s national security and economic prosperity depend on secure supply chains for cutting-edge technologies,” said Victor Peng, Chief Executive Officer of PsiQuantum. “PsiQuantum is proud to anchor our supply chains here in the United States. Thanks to the leadership of the U.S. government, our company will be able to manufacture even more of our state-of-the-art components in America.”
PsiQuantum’s approach to building fault-tolerant quantum computers leverages existing semiconductor manufacturing to rapidly scale the company’s silicon photonics platform. The company’s breakthroughs in high-performance optical switching, photon detection, and advanced packaging have transformative potential to strengthen the American semiconductor industry—with high-value applications across today’s classical compute infrastructure and tomorrow’s fault tolerant quantum computers.
“PsiQuantum’s silicon photonics platform will create consequential opportunities across advanced computing infrastructure even as we build and deploy fault-tolerant quantum computers,” said Rob Soderbery, Executive Vice President at PsiQuantum. “Our new award from the Department of Commerce will help take our momentum to the next level.”
The award from the U.S. government will compound PsiQuantum’s existing investments in its U.S.-anchored supply chains. In 2025, the company invested approximately $200 million with hundreds of American suppliers and vendors across 38 states. Since 2019, PsiQuantum has partnered with leading semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries on scaling quantum photonic chipset production in the United States.
“GlobalFoundries is excited to continue partnering with PsiQuantum to accelerate photonic quantum computing. Useful quantum systems will be built on manufacturing that already works at scale—a conviction that has driven our collaboration since 2019. GF’s capabilities in silicon photonics, advanced packaging and system-level integration, combined with PsiQuantum’s proven leadership in photonic architectures, will accelerate the scalable semiconductor foundation needed to enable next-generation quantum systems,” said Tim Breen, Chief Executive Officer of GlobalFoundries.
Today’s announcement comes as PsiQuantum builds on its partnerships across the U.S. government to validate the company’s path to utility-scale quantum computing, develop critical supporting infrastructure in the United States, and leverage state-of-the-art technology dividends.
Since 2022, PsiQuantum has worked closely with the Air Force Research Lab to advance semiconductor chip manufacturing and silicon photonics expertise for the U.S. Air Force.
In July 2026, the company announced a new $125 million expanded agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, the U.S. government’s most rigorous effort to evaluate commercial pathways to utility-scale quantum computing. PsiQuantum has partnered with DARPA under this evaluation program since 2022.
PsiQuantum’s Molecular Beam Epitaxy tool in Santa Clara, California, which is used to develop 300mm wafers of Barium Titanate (BTO), a critical material for developing beyond-state-of-the-art optical switches. With funding from the Department of Commerce, PsiQuantum will continue to scale its domestic manufacturing of BTO. (Credit: PsiQuantum)
Photonic control hardware, including a photon detector, and fiber interconnects integrated within a cryogenic system at PsiFactory in Milpitas, California. Funding support from the Commerce Department will enable the company to further improve the cost, complexity, energy requirements, and integration of its single-photon detectors. (Credit: PsiQuantum)
Optical fiber attached to a photonic chip on a circuit board at PsiFactory in Milpitas, California. PsiQuantum’s chip-to-fiber coupling technology performs beyond state-of-the-art, and the company’s award from the Department of Commerce will enable the company to accelerate its advanced packaging technology. (Credit: PsiQuantum)
A 300mm Barium Titanate (BTO) wafer produced by PsiQuantum in the United States. With funding from the Department of Commerce, PsiQuantum will continue to scale its domestic manufacturing of BTO, a critical material for developing beyond-state-of-the-art optical switches. (Credit: PsiQuantum)
About PsiQuantum
PsiQuantum was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company’s mission is to build and deploy the world’s first useful quantum computers. PsiQuantum’s photonic approach enables it to leverage high-volume semiconductor manufacturing, existing cryogenic infrastructure, and architectural flexibility to rapidly scale its systems. Learn more at www.psiquantum.com.