The government owns a piece of the future it's trying to build
Em um movimento que mistura ambição tecnológica com estratégia geopolítica, o governo Trump comprometeu dois bilhões de dólares em empresas de computação quântica, adquirindo participações minoritárias em troca. A aposta reflete uma ansiedade mais profunda sobre a dependência americana de semicondutores estrangeiros e uma crença de que a próxima fronteira da computação não pode ser deixada nas mãos de outros países. A IBM, maior beneficiária, construirá em Nova York a primeira fundição quântica pura dos Estados Unidos — um símbolo concreto de uma nação tentando reconquistar o que acredita ter perdido.
- O governo federal injetará dois bilhões de dólares em nove empresas de computação quântica, assumindo participações acionárias minoritárias como condição do investimento.
- O mercado reagiu com euforia imediata: D-Wave disparou 33%, Rigetti e Infleqtion subiram 31%, e a IBM acumulou alta de quase 14% em dois dias — sinais de que investidores enxergam uma corrida tecnológica em curso.
- A IBM vai além do dinheiro federal, comprometendo um bilhão próprio para criar a divisão Anderon em Albany, a primeira fundição dedicada exclusivamente à fabricação de chips quânticos nos EUA.
- O financiamento corre pela Lei Chips e Ciência de 2022, mas levanta questões sobre conflitos de interesse: a PsiQuantum tem entre seus investidores a 1789 Capital, firma de venture capital onde Donald Trump Jr. é sócio.
- A estratégia oficial é clara — reduzir a dependência de semicondutores importados e estabelecer liderança americana na era quântica — mas as conexões políticas dos beneficiários adicionam uma camada de ambiguidade ao projeto.
O governo Trump apostou dois bilhões de dólares na computação quântica, distribuindo investimentos federais entre nove empresas em troca de participações minoritárias. A maior fatia foi para a IBM: um bilhão de dólares para construir uma fábrica de chips quânticos no norte do estado de Nova York. A notícia sacudiu o mercado — as ações da IBM subiram quase 14% em dois dias, enquanto D-Wave, Rigetti e Infleqtion registraram altas entre 31% e 33%.
A IBM não ficou apenas com o dinheiro público. A empresa comprometeu mais um bilhão de capital próprio para lançar a divisão Anderon, descrita como a primeira fundição quântica pura dos Estados Unidos — uma instalação em Albany dedicada exclusivamente à fabricação de wafers quânticos. As demais empresas beneficiadas incluem GlobalFoundries, com 375 milhões de dólares, e PsiQuantum, Atom Computing, Quantinuum e outras, cada uma com acesso a até 100 milhões.
O dinheiro vem da Lei Chips e Ciência de 2022, que o secretário de Comércio Howard Lutnick tem usado como alavanca para trazer a produção de semicondutores de volta ao solo americano. A narrativa oficial é de soberania tecnológica: reconquistar uma indústria que, segundo Trump, foi perdida para Taiwan e outros países.
Mas há conexões que merecem atenção. A PsiQuantum tem entre seus investidores a 1789 Capital, firma de venture capital onde Donald Trump Jr. é sócio. Outros beneficiários da Lei Chips também atraíram capital da mesma firma. O padrão — dinheiro federal fluindo para empresas ligadas ao círculo interno da administração — adiciona uma camada de complexidade a um projeto que, em sua superfície, promete empregos, independência tecnológica e liderança americana na próxima fronteira da computação.
The Trump administration is betting two billion dollars on quantum computing. The money comes with strings attached—the government will own minority stakes in the companies that receive it, a calculated move to keep American technology from slipping further into foreign hands. IBM is the big winner here, landing a billion dollars to build a factory dedicated entirely to quantum chips in upstate New York.
The announcement hit the market like a spark. IBM's stock jumped twelve percent the day the news broke, then climbed another 1.7 percent the following day. But IBM isn't stopping at the federal money. The company is committing an additional billion dollars of its own capital to launch a new division called Anderon, which it describes as the first pure-play quantum computing foundry in the United States—a facility built from the ground up to manufacture quantum wafers and nothing else. The work will happen in Albany, expanding and upgrading infrastructure already in place there.
Nine companies in total will share in this federal push into quantum technology. GlobalFoundries gets 375 million dollars. D-Wave, Rigetti, Infleqtion, and PsiQuantum each signed letters of intent promising them access to as much as 100 million dollars. Atom Computing and Quantinuum will receive 100 million apiece. Diraq, the smallest beneficiary, gets 38 million. The stock market responded with enthusiasm. D-Wave surged 33 percent. Rigetti and Infleqtion each climbed 31 percent. GlobalFoundries rose 15 percent. These are volatile securities under normal circumstances; yesterday was anything but normal.
The funding flows through the Chips and Science Act, legislation passed in 2022 that has become the administration's primary tool for reshoring semiconductor manufacturing. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been the public face of this push, repeatedly urging semiconductor companies to build in America rather than abroad. The administration frames the effort as reclaiming an industry that, in Trump's telling, was stolen by Taiwan and other countries. Lutnick called the quantum investments "strategic" and promised they would strengthen the domestic industry, create thousands of well-paying jobs, and enhance American capabilities in a field widely regarded as the next frontier of computing.
There are connections worth noting. PsiQuantum counts 1789 Capital among its investors—a venture capital firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner. Last year, the Commerce Department converted 2.2 billion dollars in Chips Act subsidies into a 10 percent stake in Intel, establishing a precedent for government equity ownership in semiconductor companies. Other beneficiaries of the act include Vulcan Elements, a rare-earth startup that has also attracted investment from Trump Jr.'s firm. The pattern suggests a deliberate strategy: federal money flowing toward companies with ties to the administration's inner circle, all in service of a larger goal—technological independence and dominance in the quantum era.
Notable Quotes
These strategic investments in quantum technology will strengthen our national industry, create thousands of well-paying jobs in the US, and enhance American capabilities in quantum technology.— Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the government need to own a piece of these companies? Why not just give them the money?
Because equity stakes align incentives. If the government owns part of the company, it has a say in how the money gets spent and where the technology ends up. It's not charity; it's investment with leverage.
But doesn't that create conflicts of interest? I noticed Trump Jr. has connections to some of these firms.
That's the tension nobody's quite resolved yet. The administration would say it's about backing winners in quantum computing. Critics would say it looks like the money is flowing to friendly investors. Both things might be true.
Why quantum computing specifically? Why now?
Because whoever cracks quantum computing first will have enormous power—in cryptography, drug discovery, artificial intelligence. The US sees China and others moving fast. This is about not being left behind.
The stock prices went crazy. Did the companies do anything to deserve that, or is it just hype?
Some of it's hype. These are early-stage companies with unproven technology. But the federal backing is real—it signals that the government believes in the sector and will keep funding it. That changes the risk calculation for investors.
What happens if these companies fail?
The government loses its investment, like any investor. But the administration is betting that at least some of them will succeed, and that the quantum computing industry will anchor itself in America rather than overseas.