Quantum chokepoints: The industrial ceiling of the tech race

MacDonald Amoah, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, and Senior Research Fellow Jahara Matisek write about how in January 2026, IonQ announced a $1.8 billion acquisition of SkyWater Technology, a U.S. semiconductor foundry, to secure domestic fabrication and hardware production capacity.  The deal was framed as a step toward building fault-tolerant quantum machines at scale. However, it was a stunning move, because a company built on the mind-bending principles of quantum physics was buying a firm that specializes in the familiar world of silicon chips.  May 1, 2026.