CONFIRMED: This is based on a joint release from D-Wave and SkyWater Technology, published 13 October 2026.
D-Wave Quantum, a quantum computing company, and SkyWater Technology, a US chip manufacturer, have announced a multi-year agreement. Under it, SkyWater will keep developing manufacturing processes for, and making, the specialised chips behind D-Wave’s quantum computers [1].
The companies did not say how much the deal is worth or exactly how many years it runs [1].
What the deal covers
D-Wave has worked with the team at SkyWater’s chip factory (fab) in Minnesota for more than a decade, the companies say. That work has covered several generations of D-Wave’s technology, including making its Advantage2 processors [1].
D-Wave’s processors are superconducting: they use circuits that carry current with no electrical resistance when cooled to extremely low temperatures. Making them needs special materials and process steps that ordinary chip lines are not set up for.
The new agreement keeps D-Wave working with the same Minnesota team, which the companies describe as “manufacturing continuity” and access to process know-how built around D-Wave’s needs. They say its terms also protect D-Wave’s intellectual property [1].
“This agreement provides continuity with an experienced manufacturing team and specialized process capabilities we know well as we build the next generations of our quantum systems,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, D-Wave’s CEO [1].
“This agreement reinforces our commitment to providing D-Wave and customers across the quantum ecosystem with the unique process development and manufacturing capabilities they need to advance their technologies,” said Thomas Sonderman, SkyWater’s CEO [1].
Quantum helping the factory (COMPANY CLAIM)
Separately, the two companies ran a trial earlier this year that used D-Wave’s quantum annealing technology to plan maintenance at SkyWater’s fab. They say the optimised schedule “reduced lot delays by up to 30%, improving factory throughput” [1].
This figure comes from the companies. They have not published the method or baseline, and TSN has not been able to check it.
A follow-up trial will add factors such as resource availability and technician schedules, according to the release [1].
What this means
- Supply matters. Quantum hardware makers need factories that can handle unusual materials and processes. This deal keeps D-Wave’s production where it has been for years.
- SkyWater is pitching to the wider field. The release says SkyWater recently launched SkyWater Quantum Solutions to help quantum companies move from development to repeatable manufacturing [1].
- The money is unknown. With no value or length disclosed, it is not possible to say how big the deal is.
Sources
- D-Wave newsroom, “SkyWater and D-Wave Extend Quantum Manufacturing Collaboration Through Multi-Year Agreement”, 13 October 2026. https://www.dwavequantum.com/company/newsroom/press-release/skywater-and-d-wave-extend-quantum-manufacturing-collaboration-through-multi-year-agreement/
