Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, disclosed on Thursday, June 11, 2026, that it did not participate in a $2 billion quantum computing funding initiative launched by the Trump administration because the program's attached conditions conflicted with the company's established research and development timeline, potentially slowing its progress toward building a useful quantum computer.
According to media reports, Charina Chou, Chief Operating Officer of Google's quantum computing division, stated at the Semafor Tech Summit on June 10th that Google chose to forgo the funding because "the various conditions attached to the money" could hinder the company's ability to advance its R&D at its own pace. She explicitly said, "Google wants to advance the development of quantum computers as quickly as possible," and accepting this funding would not allow that goal to be met. Charina Chou also emphasized that this refusal was specific to this particular project, and the company continues to collaborate with Washington "in other ways," while calling for increased government investment in fundamental quantum research.
The $2 billion funding program was announced in a letter of intent in May 2026, with funds originating from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The nine companies that ultimately received funding include International Business Machines Corp (IBM), GlobalFoundries Inc (GFS), Quantinuum, PsiQuantum, Rigetti Computing, and Infleqtion, among others. Google and its competitors Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) and IonQ Inc (IONQ) were not on the final list. Media reports cited a capital markets analyst from Cohen & Company noting that not being selected could create a "relative disadvantage" in future U.S. government quantum procurement contracts.
At the summit, Charina Chou also expressed concerns about U.S. talent policy. She stated that the Trump administration's tightening of immigration and visa policies has made recruiting overseas academic talent increasingly difficult, noting that "we need to attract the best talent from around the world to drive breakthroughs in this technology." She suggested that restricting talent mobility could weaken the United States' ability to maintain its lead over other countries in the quantum field, acknowledging intense competition in the area.
Notably, at the same summit, PsiQuantum co-founder Pete Shadbolt, whose company received funding, defended government involvement. He argued that given quantum technology's profound geopolitical implications, "this is about national security," making government investment "only natural." Separately, Scott Crowder, Vice President of Quantum Applications at IBM, stated that IBM expects to deliver its first effective and scalable quantum system by 2029.
Google has been active in the quantum computing space recently. In March of this year, the company announced it was adding a neutral-atom quantum computing path alongside its superconducting qubit roadmap, forming a "dual-track parallel" strategy. Google believes superconducting processors are easier to scale in the "time dimension" (circuit depth), while neutral atoms have advantages in the "space dimension" (qubit count). Advancing both paths simultaneously could allow for faster achievement of key milestones. The company reiterated its confidence in achieving a commercially relevant quantum computer based on superconducting technology "by the end of this decade."
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