SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ:SKYT) and D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) have signed a new multi-year agreement extending their semiconductor manufacturing partnership, supporting the development and production of future generations of superconducting quantum computing technology.
The agreement will continue manufacturing activities at SkyWater’s facility in Minnesota, building on a relationship between the two companies that has lasted more than a decade.
The partnership covers specialised semiconductor process development and manufacturing services used in D-Wave’s quantum computing systems.
It also includes intellectual property protections intended to support D-Wave as it advances its technology roadmap.
The extension follows previous collaboration on multiple generations of quantum processors, including D-Wave’s Advantage2 technology, and comes as SkyWater expands its services for the wider quantum computing industry.
Under the renewed agreement, SkyWater will continue providing specialised manufacturing capabilities for D-Wave’s superconducting quantum computing systems.
Superconducting quantum processors use circuits that operate at extremely low temperatures to support quantum computing operations.
Unlike conventional semiconductor processors, which process information using classical bits, quantum systems use quantum-mechanical properties to perform certain types of computation.
D-Wave specialises in quantum annealing, an approach designed to address optimisation problems and other computational applications.
Manufacturing these systems requires specialised processes and technical expertise that differ from those used in many conventional semiconductor products.
SkyWater’s Minnesota facility has supported D-Wave’s technology development for more than ten years, providing continuity in process development and fabrication.
The renewed agreement is intended to maintain access to these capabilities as D-Wave develops subsequent generations of its quantum hardware.
The companies’ existing manufacturing relationship has contributed to several generations of D-Wave quantum computing technology.
This includes fabrication work on Advantage2 processors, which form part of D-Wave’s superconducting quantum annealing platform.
An Advantage2 system manufactured at SkyWater was used in research published in the scientific journal Science in 2025.
The research demonstrated performance beyond classical approaches on a particular quantum simulation problem.
The result provided evidence of the capabilities of the quantum system for that specific research task, although it does not establish that quantum computing offers superior performance across all computational applications.
For SkyWater, the involvement of its manufacturing processes in the research illustrates its role in supporting the fabrication of advanced quantum hardware.
For D-Wave, the extended agreement provides continued access to a manufacturing partner familiar with the specialised requirements of its processors.
Dr Alan Baratz, Chief Executive Officer of D-Wave, said the companies’ long-standing relationship has contributed to the development of its quantum annealing systems.
“Our work with the SkyWater team has played an important role in powering the past decade of D-Wave’s superconducting quantum annealing technology,” Baratz said.
“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.”
The agreement is designed to provide stability in manufacturing operations while allowing D-Wave to continue advancing its processor technology.
Intellectual property protections included in the arrangement are also intended to safeguard D-Wave’s technology as the partnership progresses.
The companies did not disclose the financial value of the agreement, specific manufacturing volumes or detailed production milestones.
Beyond manufacturing quantum processors, SkyWater and D-Wave have also explored the use of quantum computing within semiconductor production operations.
The companies applied D-Wave’s quantum annealing technology to a manufacturing scheduling problem at SkyWater.
The project focused on optimising maintenance schedules to reduce disruption and improve factory efficiency.
According to the companies, the resulting optimised schedule reduced manufacturing lot delays by up to 30%.
Manufacturing lots represent groups of semiconductor wafers or products that move through production processes.
Delays can occur when equipment maintenance interrupts manufacturing schedules or when resources are unavailable at required stages.
By improving maintenance scheduling, the companies reported that the project helped increase factory throughput.
The reported reduction of up to 30% relates to the specific scheduling application rather than an overall improvement of that magnitude across SkyWater’s manufacturing operations.
Following the initial scheduling project, SkyWater and D-Wave plan to conduct another proof-of-concept study.
The next phase will incorporate additional operational variables, including resource availability and technician constraints.
These factors can influence the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing because equipment, personnel and production schedules must be coordinated across multiple processes.
The proposed project will explore whether quantum annealing can support more complex scheduling decisions involving these constraints.
The companies have not provided a completion date or quantified performance targets for the follow-on study.
Its results will help determine the potential for further application of D-Wave’s technology within SkyWater’s manufacturing environment.
The initiative also represents a separate area of collaboration from the companies’ core quantum processor manufacturing agreement.
SkyWater recently established a business unit called SkyWater Quantum Solutions to support companies developing quantum computing technologies.
The unit is intended to help quantum technology developers move from research and development towards repeatable manufacturing processes.
Scaling quantum hardware production presents technical challenges because devices often require highly specialised materials, fabrication methods and quality controls.
SkyWater aims to address these requirements through its semiconductor manufacturing expertise and process development capabilities.
The extended partnership with D-Wave provides an example of the company’s existing involvement in quantum technology manufacturing.
SkyWater Chief Executive Officer Thomas Sonderman said the new 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.”
The company has not disclosed revenue projections or financial targets associated with the new quantum business unit.
The latest agreement strengthens an established manufacturing relationship between SkyWater Technology and D-Wave Quantum.
For D-Wave, the arrangement provides continued access to specialised semiconductor production processes as it develops future superconducting quantum computing systems.
For SkyWater, the partnership supports its position as a manufacturing provider to quantum technology companies and complements the recent launch of SkyWater Quantum Solutions.
The companies are also exploring practical industrial applications of quantum annealing, following the reported reduction in manufacturing delays achieved through their scheduling project.
Further developments will include the progression of D-Wave’s next-generation processors and the outcome of the planned manufacturing optimisation study.
Although financial terms were not disclosed, the multi-year agreement establishes a continued framework for cooperation in quantum semiconductor development and manufacturing.
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