US government takes $2 billion equity stake in nine quantum computing firms

The US government will take equity stakes worth a total of $2 billion in a slew of quantum computing companies, including a startup backed by a firm with links to the Trump family and one taken public by a Pentagon official. The announcement by the commerce department that it had signed letters of intent with nine companies—including GlobalFoundries and IBM—sent shares in quantum specialists soaring on Thursday. Both IBM, which is set to get $1 billion, and GlobalFoundries, which will receive $3