IBM Spins Off America’s First Quantum Chip Foundry

Announcement

IBM unveiled Anderon, a new corporate entity that will operate a 300 mm quantum wafer fabrication line in Albany, New York. The venture is financed by a proposed $1 billion R&D award from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Act and a $1 billion cash investment from IBM itself, bringing the total commitment to $2 billion. Anderon will be positioned as a neutral manufacturing service for superconducting‑qubit chips, allowing other quantum hardware startups to outsource production rather than build their own cleanrooms.

Technical Specs

• Wafer size: 300 mm silicon, the same platform IBM already uses for its Heron r2 (156 fixed‑frequency qubits) and Nighthawk (120 qubits, 218 tunable couplers) processors. Moving from 200 mm to 300 mm increases device throughput by roughly 30 ×, thanks to a ten‑fold rise in device complexity and a three‑fold increase in chips per wafer.
• Process focus (Phase 1): Superconducting wiring, through‑silicon vias (TSVs), and bump interconnects. These elements support the dense 2‑D lattices used by IBM’s roadmap and by most competing superconducting designs.
• Future expansion: Plans include adding process modules for trapped‑ion, photonic, and silicon‑spin qubits, mirroring GlobalFoundries’ multi‑architecture “Quantum Technology Solutions” foundry.
• Design ecosystem: Anderon will provide Process Design Kits (PDKs), inline wafer‑test infrastructure, and a baseline production flow that mirrors IBM’s internal line, reducing time‑to‑fab for external customers from years to months.

Performance Benchmarks of IBM’s Current Chips

Processor	Qubit Count	Couplers	Median T1 (µs)	Logical Qubits Target
Heron r2	156	–	250	–
Nighthawk	120	218	350	–
Starling (2029 target)	–	–	–	~200 logical
Blue Jay (2033 target)	–	–	–	~2,000 logical

These targets all assume continued access to 300 mm fab capacity, underscoring why a dedicated foundry is critical for scaling logical qubit counts.

Market Implications

Supply‑Chain Shift

Until now, every operational quantum computer has been built vertically—the same company designs, fabricates, and operates the hardware. Anderon introduces a foundry model akin to TSMC for classical chips, but with two important differences:

1. Technology scope: The initial offering is limited to superconducting qubits, which represent roughly 70 % of the U.S. quantum hardware pipeline (Rigetti, IQM, SEEQC, etc.).
2. Competitive tension: IBM will be both a customer and a competitor. Startups must weigh the benefit of 300 mm access against the risk of exposing process knowledge to the market leader.

Immediate Addressable Market

• IBM’s own roadmap (Starling, Blue Jay) – guaranteed internal volume.
• Rigetti Computing – already partnered with the federal government; likely to test Anderon’s services.
• IQM, SEEQC, and smaller superconducting firms – could outsource to avoid the $500 M‑$1 B capex required for a cleanroom.

Companies that rely on trapped‑ion (IonQ, Quantinuum) or topological (Microsoft) platforms have little incentive to use a superconducting‑focused fab, at least in the near term.

Competitive Landscape

Entity	Funding (US)	Architecture Focus	Equity Stake
IBM/Anderon	$1 B award + $1 B IBM	Superconducting	Not disclosed
GlobalFoundries	$375 M	Multi‑arch (superconducting, trapped‑ion, photonic, silicon‑spin)	1 % federal
D‑Wave, Rigetti, Atom Computing, Infleqtion, PsiQuantum, Quantinuum	$100 M each	Varied	Minority US government stake
Diraq (Australia)	Up to $38 M	Silicon‑spin	–

The absence of a disclosed equity stake for Anderon is notable, especially after the Trump administration took a ~10 % stake in Intel’s CHIPS Act award. If the federal government secures a comparable share, it could influence governance and pricing structures.

Global Context

• China: National Venture Guidance Fund allocated ¥1 trillion (~$138 B) to hard‑tech, with at least $15 B already flowing into quantum projects.
• Japan: “Quantum Sun” agenda pledges ¥1 trillion (~$7.4 B) for semiconductor and quantum integration.
• EU: Quantum Flagship remains at €1 B over ten years, far smaller than U.S. and Chinese commitments.

IBM’s $2 B package brings U.S. public quantum spending to parity with Japan and the EU, but it still trails China’s multi‑decade commitment by an order of magnitude.

Revenue Outlook

Analyst estimates vary widely:

• BCG projects $450‑$850 B in total economic value by 2040, with vendor revenue representing a fraction of that range.
• McKinsey (2025 Quantum Technology Monitor) forecasts $28‑$72 B in quantum‑computing market revenue by 2035.
• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues practical quantum advantage is at least 20 years away, suggesting near‑term fab revenue will be driven more by R&D contracts than by volume sales.

Given these ranges, Anderon’s initial addressable market (superconducting startups plus IBM) likely caps at $200‑$300 M in annual fab services for the first five years, scaling upward as more firms adopt 300 mm processes.

Risks and Open Questions

• Finalization of funding: CHIPS Act awards have historically been reduced during due‑diligence; the $1 B award could shrink.
• Equity structure: Lack of disclosed government equity raises questions about pricing transparency and potential conflict of interest.
• Customer adoption: Major players like Google, IonQ, and Microsoft have entrenched in‑house fabs; convincing them to outsource will be challenging.
• Technology diversification: Expanding beyond superconducting qubits will require new PDKs, contamination controls, and possibly separate process lines, increasing capital intensity.

Conclusion

Anderon represents the first serious attempt to decouple quantum chip design from fabrication in the United States. By providing a 300 mm superconducting fab, IBM aims to lower the barrier to entry for emerging quantum startups while securing a domestic supply chain for its own roadmap. The venture’s success will hinge on how quickly competitors trust a rival’s foundry, how the federal equity stake is structured, and whether the broader funding environment remains stable amid a global quantum arms race.

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For further reading on IBM’s quantum roadmap, see the official IBM Quantum Roadmap.