The Trump administration is in talks to acquire a stake in a quantum computing company

Several quantum computing companies are in talks about offering equity to the U.S. Commerce Department in exchange for federal funding, a sign that the Trump administration is expanding its intervention in sectors of the economy it considers critical. Companies such as IonQ, Rigetti Computing and D-WaveQuantum are discussing making the government a shareholder as part of an agreement to secure special project funding for promising tech companies, according to people familiar with the discussions. Other companies such as Quantum Computing and Atom Computing are also considering similar arrangements. Some people familiar with the discussions said the two companies are discussing a minimum financing of $10 million each from Washington. Other tech companies are also expected to compete for the funding. (Jin Ten)