Trump reportedly eyes new U.S. stakes
Parts of the IBM Quantum System Two are on display at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, on June 6, 2025.
Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is in talks with several quantum computer companies about giving stock to the Commerce Department in exchange for federal funding. reported on Wednesday.
The Journal, citing unnamed sources on the matter, said the companies include: IonQ, Rigetti Computer And D-Wave Quantum. Like other companies Kuantum Bilgisayar A.Ş.. and Atom Computing are also considering similar arrangements.
The news dovetails with Washington’s recent efforts to buy stakes in major companies in sectors vital to US national security, especially large companies that benefit from public funds.
One of the earliest examples during US President Donald Trump’s second term was when the Department of Defense invested $400 million in the American rare earth company MP Materials for a roughly 15% stake in the company.
A month later, the government took a nearly 10% stake in semiconductor firm Intel, the only American company capable of producing advanced AI processors on US soil.
Shares in quantum computing companies will each be awarded a minimum of $10 million in funding, the Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Other technology companies are also expected to compete for grants.
Interventionist change in Washington
The U.S. government’s increased interest in acquiring stakes in private companies is unprecedented in recent years, especially outside of the financial crisis; this signals an ideological shift towards greater intervention in certain industries.
But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration will not take stakes in non-strategic sectors “We have to be very careful not to overdo it,” he told CNBC in an exclusive interview on October 15.
Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have argued that the government should benefit from a company’s success when federal funds play a role in its growth.
The targeted industries also appear to reflect Washington’s focus on technological and economic competition with China.
For example, the US stake in MP Materials comes after China restricted exports of rare earth elements, key ingredients in high-tech products, prompting Washington to step up efforts to build up the domestic supply chain.
Intel’s financing also aligns with U.S. efforts to strengthen its domestic semiconductor industry to support a broader race for dominance in artificial intelligence.
Quantum computing, which uses quantum mechanics to solve problems beyond the capabilities of most of today’s supercomputers, is seen as one of the next strategically critical technologies that Washington will likely focus on due to its major economic and security implications.
Experts believe the advanced technology could revolutionize fields such as medicine, finance and materials science by solving complex problems currently impossible for traditional computers, and pose major cybersecurity threats if it falls into the hands of competitors.
