Awarded to D-Wave subsidiary Quantum Circuits, LLC, the SQFab project is one of four innovative programs selected by the U.S. Department of War (DOW) through NORDTECH, a regional consortium of non-profit accessible semiconductor R&D facilities, government labs, defense companies, academic institutions, and technology manufacturing organizations in and around New York State. NORDTECH is one of eight hubs composing the U.S. Microelectronics Commons (MEC) program, which is a DOW initiative executed through the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division and managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).

The four programs are collectively receiving more than $25 million in second year funding after achieving key first-year benchmarks by demonstrating significant results in the design, fabrication, and characterization of key quantum computing components. D-Wave's project aims to improve materials for superconducting qubits with scalable fabrication methods, supporting the development and advancement of next-generation microelectronics capabilities from research to manufacturing.

"This award reflects the growing recognition that quantum computing will play an important role in advancing U.S. microelectronics innovation," said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. "D-Wave is proud to collaborate with leading partners across the region to accelerate the development of scalable, high-impact quantum technologies that support both commercial and national security applications."

"Building on the progress made last year, we are excited to continue our work in establishing the hub's core infrastructure for superconducting qubit fabrication and system scalability," said Dr. Rob Schoelkopf, chief scientist at D-Wave. "We believe that this work is critical to advancing the foundational packaging and testing protocols needed for gate-model superconducting quantum systems, enabling the transfer of best-in-class nanofabrication processes from lab-to-fab and supporting broader adoption and scalability."

The Microelectronics Commons seeks to accelerate domestic microelectronics prototyping, strengthen semiconductor supply chains, and expand U.S. leadership in critical technologies. By bringing together industry, academia, and government partners, the program helps to bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and domestic manufacturing. The initiative plays a critical role in addressing supply chain vulnerabilities while fostering a robust semiconductor workforce and innovation pipeline. The SQFab mission is to co-develop technologies necessary to demonstrate scalable quantum error correction, using new materials, innovative quantum circuits and qubit control schemes.