Quantum computing stocks soar as Trump uses Biden-era legislation to award $2 billion in grants

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Quantum Computing Stocks Surge as Trump Administration Disburses $2 Billion in Grants from Biden-Era CHIPS Act

In a striking turn of events, the Trump administration is now leveraging legislation it once openly criticized to inject $2 billion into the American quantum computing sector. The result? A massive premarket rally for nine key players, with stocks like D-Wave and Rigetti soaring by double digits. For B2B revenue teams, this isn’t just a headline—it’s a signal that government-backed deep tech is about to become a major GTM opportunity.

The Deal: $2 Billion, Nine Players, and a Government Stake

Let’s cut through the noise. The Trump administration is awarding $2 billion in grants to nine quantum computing companies. But this isn’t free money. In exchange for the funding, the government will take varying equity stakes in each firm. It’s a hybrid model—part grant, part investment—that could reshape how public-private partnerships work in emerging tech.

Here’s the breakdown of the major recipients, according to the Wall Street Journal report:

  • IBM (via its new spin-off Anderon): The lion’s share—$1 billion in grant funding. IBM will match that with another $1 billion in cash to create Anderon, a standalone company based in Albany, New York. Anderon will operate a “state-of-the-art 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry,” according to IBM’s announcement. The company predicts the quantum industry could generate up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040.
  • GlobalFoundries: $375 million
  • D-Wave Quantum, Inc. : $100 million
  • Infleqtion Inc. : $100 million
  • Rigetti Computing Inc. : $100 million
  • Diraq (private startup): $38 million

The final deals are still being finalized, and multiple announcements indicate the funds are contingent on meeting specific milestones. As of press time, Fast Company has reached out to the Commerce Department for comment.

The Market Reaction: Stocks Are Flying

Investors didn’t wait for the ink to dry. In Thursday’s premarket trading, the stock prices of publicly traded recipients skyrocketed:

  • IBM (NYSE: IBM): Up ~6.6%
  • D-Wave (NYSE: QBTS): Up ~17.5%
  • Rigetti (Nasdaq: RGTI): Up ~15.5%
  • GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS): Up ~14.5%
  • Infleqtion (NYSE: INFQ): Up ~24%

That’s a combined market cap jump of hundreds of millions of dollars in a single morning. For B2B SaaS companies serving the quantum or semiconductor space, this is your customer base suddenly having more budget and more urgency.

The Irony: Trump Using Biden-Era Legislation

Here’s where the story gets politically fascinating—and strategically important for anyone in B2B.

These grants are being supplied by the Biden-era 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which provided $280 billion in funding for semiconductors over the next decade. The vote in Congress was sharply partisan: 187 House Republicans and 32 Senate Republicans voted against it.

During his joint address to Congress last year, Trump explicitly rallied against the legislation, calling it (according to Politico) “a horrible, horrible thing.” He told Speaker Mike Johnson: “You should get rid of the CHIPS Act and whatever’s left over, Mr. Speaker, you should use…”

Yet here we are. The same administration that denounced the CHIPS Act is now disbursing its funds. The takeaway? Policy criticism doesn’t always translate to inaction. For B2B leaders, this is a reminder that government contracts and grants can survive political whiplash—if the underlying technology is deemed critical for national security and economic competitiveness.

Why This Matters for B2B Revenue Teams

If you’re selling software, infrastructure, or services into the quantum or semiconductor ecosystem, this is a goldmine. Here’s why:

1. Your ICP Just Got Richer

The recipients of these grants—IBM, D-Wave, Rigetti, GlobalFoundries, Infleqtion, Diraq—are now sitting on fresh capital. They need to spend it. That means:

  • Cloud infrastructure for quantum simulation and training
  • Cybersecurity solutions for sensitive R&D environments
  • Supply chain and logistics software for wafer fabrication
  • Talent acquisition and HR tech to scale teams
  • Compliance and reporting platforms to meet government milestones

As a B2B seller, your job is to identify which of these companies is now your target account and map their specific needs to your product.

2. The Government Equity Stake Changes the Sales Dynamic

Because the government is taking equity, these companies now have a new stakeholder with different priorities. Expect:

  • Increased focus on national security and data sovereignty in procurement decisions
  • Stricter vendor vetting around foreign ownership or data residency
  • Faster decision cycles on compliance and security tools

If you sell into regulated industries, lead with your security certifications and government compliance track record. It’s no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a deal-breaker.

3. The $850 Billion Opportunity by 2040

IBM’s Anderon announcement projected that the quantum industry could generate up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040. That’s a 16-year horizon, but the infrastructure spending starts now. Every dollar of grant money that flows into these companies triggers a multiplier effect:

  • Equipment purchases
  • Software subscriptions
  • Consulting services
  • Talent acquisition
  • Real estate and lab buildouts

For B2B SaaS companies, the window to get in early is now, before these companies formalize their vendor rosters.

Actionable Playbook: How to Sell Into This Wave

If you’re a revenue leader at a B2B tech company, here’s your 90-day playbook:

Week 1-2: Identify Your Target Accounts

Focus on the nine companies listed above. Use your CRM to flag any existing relationships. Look for:

  • Companies you’ve previously sold to in the semiconductor or adjacent spaces
  • Contacts who have moved from one recipient to another
  • Alumni networks from IBM, GlobalFoundries, or Rigetti

Week 3-4: Map the Buying Committee

For each target, identify the key decision-makers:

  • CEO/CTO: Strategic vision and budget approval
  • VP of Engineering: Technical requirements and implementation
  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) : Security and compliance
  • VP of Procurement: Vendor onboarding and milestone tracking

Week 5-6: Build Compliance-Led Messaging

Given the government equity stake, your pitch should emphasize:

  • Data sovereignty and on-premise deployment options
  • FedRAMP or SOC 2 compliance
  • Case studies from other regulated industries (defense, financial services, healthcare)
  • Milestone tracking and reporting capabilities

Week 7-8: Launch Targeted Outreach

Use intent data platforms (like Bombora or 6sense) to identify which of these companies are researching topics related to your product. Then:

  • Send personalized emails referencing the grant announcement
  • Offer a free audit or assessment related to the government’s milestones
  • Invite them to a webinar or roundtable on “Scaling Quantum Infrastructure”

Week 9-12: Close and Expand

The first deal with a grant recipient could be small, but it opens the door. Use it to:

  • Gather case material and testimonials
  • Cross-sell into other departments
  • Build relationships that survive political or economic shifts

The Bigger Picture: What This Means for B2B Tech

This isn’t just a story about quantum computing stocks. It’s a story about how government policy, despite political drama, creates predictable waves of B2B opportunity.

The CHIPS Act was passed in 2022. The grant is being awarded in 2025. That’s a three-year lag between legislation and execution. For B2B companies, the lesson is clear: Pay attention to government funding cycles, even if the party in power changes.

In the next 12 months, expect more announcements as the remaining $278 billion in CHIPS Act funding gets deployed. Companies in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, industrial software, and materials science will benefit. Your job is to be ready when they pick up the phone.

Final Takeaway: Don’t Let Politics Distract You from the Trend

Whether you voted for Biden or Trump, whether you loved or hated the CHIPS Act, the money is now flowing. The quantum computing sector is about to get a massive injection of capital, and the B2B companies that serve it will win.

The stocks are already moving. Your revenue team should move too.

Related reading: Want to dive deeper into how government funding cycles affect B2B sales? Check out our guide on “Selling into Government-Backed Deep Tech: A Playbook for 2025.”

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