Quantum Computing opens first-of-its-kind chip manufacturing facility in Tempe

By Amy Edelen

Quantum Computing Inc. has opened its semiconductor manufacturing facility in Tempe, where it plans to produce thin film lithium niobate chips for use in high-performance computing, machine learning, cybersecurity, sensing and imaging products.

The New Jersey-based integrated photonics and quantum optics technology company completed buildout in March of its nearly 12,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at ASU Research Park, 2050 E. ASU Circle. Quantum Computing inked a lease for space at ASU Research Park in 2023, the Business Journal previously reported.

Quantum Computing’s (Nasdaq: QUBT) TFLN chips will serve as “optical engines” for photonic-based quantum computers and other secure quantum communications, driven by increasing demand for artificial intelligence-related technologies, according to the company.

The company's Tempe manufacturing facility is the first of its kind in the U.S., enabling customers to go from prototyping to mid-volume manufacturing, Pouya Dianat, Quantum Computing’s chief revenue officer, said at a grand opening event Monday.

“We've done all the investment for them, and all they need to do is to deliver on their product and integrate it into their system,” he said. “The capabilities that we have are one of a kind. We can achieve surface smoothness in the atomic scale and we can design optical devices that perform for next generation of AI communications.”

Company's Tempe manufacturing facility a 'powerful launching pad'

Quantum Computing selected Arizona as the site of its TFLN manufacturing plant based on the state's growing semiconductor industry, early recognition of advanced photonic research and government interest in exploring quantum computing and related technologies.

The company did not disclose the cost of its Tempe facility, but a regulatory filing shows it invested more than $8 million last year into equipment and buildout of the leased space.

Quantum Computing’s new Tempe facility will be a “powerful launching pad” to introduce its nonlinear optical chips to the market. The company’s customer base consists of national laboratories, manufacturing and automotive companies and university research and development teams, Bill McGann, CEO of Quantum Computing, told the Business Journal.

The company is in the process of fulfilling orders for a handful of customers at its Tempe fab. Although the company will begin with small scale manufacturing operations, it plans to double its size in Tempe within two years to meet growing customer demand, McGann added. 

“We already have designs for what the next generation of this fab looks like to scale it up,” he said. “So this is going to be used to grow the company, create early revenue with stuff we have today, and then we'll start to measure growth in the market, so we can keep up and scale. Ultimately, it will be a much bigger facility.”

Quantum Computing Inc. has 50 employees, including 10 based in Arizona. The company aims to double its headcount at its Tempe fab within a year with plans to hire photonic integrated circuit designers and engineers to test and validate the company’s prototype chip packaging processes.

“We won't do large scale packaging, but we have the equipment here in place to do packaging,” McGann said. “So we can really build  — front to back — a photonic integrated circuit chip and test it and validate it. Then, we can get a third party to do the high scale packaging until we get our next generation fab."

To date, Quantum Computing has secured multiple purchase orders for its TFLN-based photonic integrated circuits, according to the company.

Just last month, the company was awarded a subcontract valued at nearly $407,000 to support NASA’s Langley Research Center through the development of an innovative quantum computing technique for removal of solar noise from space light detection and ranging (lidar) data.

Company undergoes leadership changes

To keep up with its forecasted growth, Quantum Computing appointed Milan Begliarbekov as chief operating officer and Dianat as chief revenue officer, effective May 2.

McGann in April announced his retirement from Quantum Computing, effective May 12. He will be succeeded by Yuping Huang, who is serving as Quantum Computing’s interim CEO. The company’s board formed a committee that will work with an executive search firm to select a new CEO, according to a regulatory filing.

Despite Quantum Computing’s ambitions for growth, the company reported a net loss of $51.2 million and generated just $62,000 in the fourth quarter, a regulatory filing shows.

Looking ahead, Quantum Computing is focused on proving its concept and capturing a piece of the multibillion dollar electro-optic modulator market, McGann said.

“We'll be the first U.S. based company to make these unique, nonlinear quantum optical chips, and we’ll use these chips for our purposes in quantum computing and in quantum sensing and measurement,” McGann said. “But the world uses these same types of chips in really important spaces — like telecom and datacom, and data centers — where they want to have fast interconnections between data servers.”

Final Thoughts

Quantum Computing Inc.’s launch of a first-of-its-kind chip manufacturing facility in Tempe marks a major milestone for Arizona’s advanced tech sector. Positioned at the heart of ASU Research Park, this $8M+ investment not only enhances U.S. capabilities in photonic-based quantum technologies, but also strengthens Arizona’s role in the global semiconductor and AI innovation landscape. With plans to scale production and double headcount, the company is poised for rapid growth.