IonQ

The Federal Trade Commission approved a $2 billion merger between quantum computing company IonQ and chip manufacturer SkyWater despite objections from a senior Pentagon official. The Pentagon had sought restrictions to protect U.S. government investments in quantum computing, but the FTC's decision left the merged company without compliance obligations.

The Trump administration allocated $2 billion in grants and investments to nine quantum computing companies, but notably excluded major tech firms Google, Microsoft, and IonQ. The move represents a shift toward government equity stakes in tech companies and aims to build domestic quantum computing supply chains, though final funding details remain unclear.

The U.S. government has taken new stakes in quantum computing companies, and traders on prediction market platform Kalshi are speculating about which companies might receive government investment next. The leading candidates identified by traders are IonQ, Micron, and Anduril Industries.