Insider Brief
- Google declined to participate in the U.S. government’s $2 billion quantum funding initiative, citing program conditions that the company said would have slowed its development efforts.
- Microsoft and IonQ were also absent from the list of nine funding recipients, which included IBM, Quantinuum, PsiQuantum, Rigetti Computing, Infleqtion and GlobalFoundries.
- Google said it remains engaged with the federal government through other partnerships while advocating for greater investment in basic quantum research.
Google chose not to participate in the U.S. government’s recent $2 billion quantum technology funding initiative because the conditions attached to the program would have slowed the company’s development efforts, according to comments made by a senior executive this week.
Speaking at the Semafor Tech Summit in San Francisco on June 10, Google Quantum AI Chief Operating Officer Charina Chou said the company declined the opportunity because of “various conditions that came with the funding” that conflicted with Google’s approach to building a practical quantum computer.
The remarks, reported by Investing.com citing Semafor, offer new insight into Google’s absence from a list of companies selected by the Trump administration last month to receive letters of intent under a major federal initiative aimed at strengthening the United States’ position in quantum technologies.
Microsoft and IonQ were also major quantum computing developers that did not appear among the nine announced recipients.
The administration unveiled the initiative in May as part of a broader effort to bolster domestic quantum capabilities and counter growing competition from China. The package, valued at $2 billion in total, included companies such as IBM, GlobalFoundries, Quantinuum, PsiQuantum, Rigetti Computing and Infleqtion.
According to Investing.com, the funding arrangements have not been finalized. Instead, the announcements took the form of letters of intent, and the specific requirements attached to the funding have not been publicly disclosed.
Chou suggested that Google’s concerns centered on preserving flexibility and maintaining the pace of development.
The company viewed the conditions associated with the program as incompatible with its timeline for advancing quantum computing systems, according to her comments at the conference as reported by Investing.com.
Quantum computing remains an emerging field in which companies are racing to build machines capable of solving certain problems beyond the reach of today’s conventional computers. Governments increasingly view the technology as strategically important because of its potential implications for national security, scientific research and economic competitiveness.
Despite declining participation in the funding initiative, Chou emphasized that Google remains engaged with the federal government.
According to Investing.com, she said Google is working with Washington “in other ways” and advocated for expanded public support for fundamental quantum research conducted at national laboratories and academic institutions.
The news of Google’s opting out of the program offers insights into a broader debate within the industry over how governments should support the development of quantum technologies. While some companies favor direct commercial support, others appear more comfortable with investments focused on foundational research.
That perspective contrasted with comments from PsiQuantum co-founder Pete Shadbolt, who defended government investment in the sector during the same event. PsiQuantum was one of the nine companies that received the administration’s funding.
“It was ‘really natural’ for the U.S. government to invest in the sector because of quantum’s profound geopolitical implications,” Shadbolt said, as reported in Investing.com. “It has national security implications.”
Beyond funding questions, Chou raised concerns about access to talent, another challenge facing the industry.
According to Investing.com, she said that increasingly restrictive immigration and visa policies could make it more difficult for the United States to attract the international researchers needed to maintain leadership in quantum technologies.
“We’re going to need to get the best talent from all over the world to make this technology possible,” Chou said.
Industry observers have also pointed to potential commercial consequences stemming from participation in the federal initiative.
Investing.com reported that analysts at Cohen & Company Capital Markets suggested the absence of Google, Microsoft and IonQ from the recipient list could create a “comparative disadvantage” as federal agencies begin incorporating quantum requirements into future procurement programs.
For companies that accepted the government’s support, the funding could help accelerate development efforts.
IBM, one of the selected recipients, has publicly outlined ambitious goals for the sector. According to Investing.com, IBM Vice President of Quantum Adoption Scott Crowder told investors that the company expects to deliver its first effective, scalable quantum computing system by 2029.
