India, May 22 -- IBM and the US Department of Commerce (DoC) have announced a Letter of Intent (LOI) to build a quantum chip foundry in the United States, marking a significant step in the country's push to strengthen its domestic quantum manufacturing ecosystem.

The proposed CHIPS incentive from the DoC will support the research and development (R&D) efforts of Anderon, a new IBM company that is expected to become America's first pure-play quantum foundry.

The initiative is aimed at positioning the US to manufacture a larger share of the world's quantum wafers, while strengthening its role in a technology area seen as increasingly important for economic competitiveness and national security.

IBM said the DoC's proposed USD 1 billion C...