Atom Computing Announces Letter of Intent with U.S. Department of Commerce for $100 Million to Accelerate Path to Fault-Tolerant, Utility-Scale Quantum Computing

BOULDER, Colo., May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Atom Computing, a leader in scalable, neutral-atom quantum computing, today announced it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive $100 million of funding to accelerate development of fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computing. This announcement marks a significant step in the government's support of American efforts to advance critical quantum technologies and strengthen the United States' leadership in next-generation computing.

As global competition for quantum leadership intensifies, the LOI from the Department of Commerce demonstrates that the U.S. Government is committed to the long-term success of foundational quantum technologies.

Atom Computing's unique approach to quantum computing, utilizing arrays of optically-trapped neutral atoms, is widely recognized as one of the most viable paths to reaching commercial utility. The company has emerged as an industry leader by pioneering the use of this technology for quantum systems and is currently installing the world's first commercial quantum computer with logical qubits. Atom also performed on Stage A of DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) and is currently performing on Stage B, where it is demonstrating its path to utility-scale quantum computing.

"This investment will allow us to move faster than ever and strengthens the United States' leadership in quantum computing," said Ben Bloom, Founder and CEO of Atom Computing. "With this support, we will be accelerating key engineering advances needed to deliver full-scale quantum systems powered by our neutral-atom technology."

With the Commerce Department's support, Atom Computing will accelerate its technology roadmap through targeted engineering initiatives, including:

• In-house development of critical components to drive performance and integration
• Parallelized testbeds to rapidly validate and scale innovations
• Enhanced collaborations with supply chain partners to support manufacturability and growth

"With today's CHIPS Research and Development investments in quantum computing, the Trump administration is leading the world into a new era of American innovation," said Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. "These strategic quantum technology investments will build on our domestic industry, creating thousands of high-paying American jobs while advancing American quantum capabilities."

The federal government's intended support stands alongside continued backing from Atom Computing's early-stage and institutional investors, who have long supported the company's focus on scalability and engineering rigor.

"DCVC has been invested in Atom Computing from the start, and we are excited to see this bold and timely bet that accelerates the company's roadmap to a neutral atom based, fault tolerant quantum computer," said Dr. Prineha Narang, a DCVC Operating Partner.

Robert Schwartz, Managing Partner at Third Point Ventures, added, "This milestone is a powerful validation of Atom's commercial maturity and technical leadership. We are thrilled to see the U.S. government recognize what we've known since our initial investment: Atom Computing is perfectly positioned to lead the development of scaled, performant, practical quantum computers and this technology will ultimately be as important as artificial intelligence."

The timelines for achieving economically valuable quantum computing are continuing to shrink as breakthroughs accelerate across the industry. Atom Computing is well-positioned to capitalize on this momentum and continue leading the development and commercialization of quantum technologies.

About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is developing large-scale quantum computers to enable companies and researchers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Utilizing highly scalable arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms, the company has developed systems with over 1,000 qubits, featuring advanced capabilities towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. Atom Computing's on-premises systems provide customers with new computational tools and logical qubit capabilities to address increasingly complex applications and to grow their quantum ecosystem. Learn more at atom-computing.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact: 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Atom Computing