Quantum computing has lengthy been introduced as “simply across the nook,” however a number of corporations at the moment are decided to make this a business actuality, with the promise of fixing complicated issues past classical computer systems’ attain.
The issues in query are wide-ranging, from medication and cybersecurity to supplies science and chemistry. But first, there are very sensible issues to be solved, akin to growing chips that may reliably host giant numbers of qubits — brief for quantum bits, the elemental unit of data in quantum computing.
As ordinary in a high-stakes tech race with an unsure time horizon, tech giants akin to Google and Microsoft are on the forefront. Yet startups are additionally set to play an necessary function, particularly tackling bottlenecks like connectivity and error correction which are important for scaling quantum programs.
But some startups and smaller tech corporations are taking over the chip problem head-on, and deserve point out alongside the extra attention-grabbing efforts from trade giants. While Big Tech initiatives sometimes boast the very best qubit counts, rethinking designs from first rules and utilizing totally different approaches may yield equally promising outcomes.
Here are a few of the corporations behind the primary quantum chip initiatives which are value monitoring:
Akhetonics
Akhetonics is a German photonics startup engaged on an all-optical, basic function chip — a contrarian wager in a subject the place most give attention to narrower purposes. This daring model and its first-principles method helped the corporate elevate a €6 million seed funding spherical led by Matterwave Ventures in November 2024.
Alice & Bob
Alice & Bob is a French startup that raised a $104 million Series B spherical of funding in January 2025 to proceed working towards constructing a “fault tolerant” quantum pc.
Unlike corporations focusing solely on chips, Alice & Bob is growing a full quantum computing system. To accomplish that, it depends on cat qubits, a kind of superconducting qubits designed to cut back errors and simplify error correction.
Atom Computing
Atom Computing is a U.S. firm constructing quantum computer systems with arrays of optically trapped impartial atoms.
At the Microsoft Ignite 2024 convention, Microsoft and Atom Computing introduced plans to launch a business quantum pc in 2025.
Amazon
Amazon formally joined the quantum chip race in early 2025 when AWS launched Ocelot, developed in partnership with the California Institute of Technology. While that is the corporate’s first quantum chip, AWS had beforehand launched Braket, a quantum computing service, in partnership with D-Wave, IonQ, Rigetti, and others.
D-Wave
D-Wave is a quantum computing firm whose newest flagship system, the Advantage2 prototype, depends on a course of referred to as quantum annealing, which makes use of quantum physics to search out essentially the most steady, lowest-energy preparations of components to determine the perfect combine for a given downside.
Founded in 1999 as a derivative from the University of British Columbia in Canada, D-Wave is now a public firm listed on the NYSE.
EeroQ
Illinois-based EeroQ is a startup betting on helium for its quantum chip design. Having raised a $7.25 million seed funding spherical in 2022 and acquired regional public help, the corporate made a $1.1 million dedication in September 2024 towards increasing its HQ in Chicago’s Humboldt Park.
Fujitsu & RIKEN
In April 2025, Fujitsu and Japanese analysis establishment RIKEN introduced having developed a 256-qubit superconducting quantum pc on the RIKEN RQC-FUJITSU Collaboration Center, up from a 64-qubit iteration in 2023.
In December 2024, Google introduced Willow, its newest quantum computing chip.
Google didn’t cease at saying Willow was higher than its predecessor, Sycamore, or at describing it as “a serious breakthrough in quantum error correction.” In a press release that made headlines, Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven wrote that Willow’s efficiency lent “credence to the notion that quantum computation happens in lots of parallel universes.”
IBM
IBM’s quantum efforts embrace Condor, its milestone superconducting chip for scaling as much as 1,121 qubits, and Heron, a 156-qubit processor centered on improved efficiency and decrease error charges.
Intel
Intel is growing quantum computer systems primarily based on silicon spin qubits. In June 2023, it unveiled Tunnel Falls, a 12-qubit analysis chip, and stated a next-generation quantum chip primarily based on Tunnel Falls was anticipated to be launched in 2024, however this hasn’t occurred.
IonQ
IonQ is a publicly listed U.S. firm growing trapped-ion quantum computer systems, together with the IonQ Forte. After going public by way of a SPAC in late 2021, it acquired Canadian networking specialist Entangled Networks.
IQM
IQM is a Finnish startup constructing superconducting quantum computer systems, and a spinout of the Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland that acquired funding in its early days from the Business Finland authorities company, adopted by further help from the EIC Accelerator program.
In 2022, IQM raised €128 million in Series A2 funding led by World Fund, including to the €39 million led by MIG Fonds it had raised in 2020 as a part of what was then its Series A. This second tranche included a part of a beforehand introduced €35 million enterprise mortgage from the European Investment Bank, in addition to participation from the EIC Fund and others.
Microsoft
In February 2025, Microsoft launched Majorana, a quantum chip utilizing a topological core structure. Microsoft beforehand declared that it anticipated to construct a quantum supercomputer inside 10 years.
Pasqal
Pasqal is a French startup taking a full-stack method to quantum computing and betting on impartial atoms. Having emerged out of the Institut d’Optique in 2019, its co-founders embrace 2022 Nobel Prize Laureate Physics and professor Alain Aspect.
In February 2023, Pascal raised a €100 million Series B funding spherical led by Singapore’s Temasek, with participation from present traders Quantonation, the Defense Innovation Fund, Daphni and Eni Next, in addition to new traders European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Wa’ed Ventures, and Bpifrance (by its Large Venture Fund).
PsiQuantum
PsiQuantum is a quantum computing startup utilizing photonics know-how and aiming to construct “a 1 million-quantum-bit machine.” In February 2025, it introduced Omega, a quantum photonic chipset manufactured at GlobalFoundries in New York.
In 2021, PsiQuantum landed a $450 million Series D funding led by BlackRock, which is now stated to be main a possible $750 million spherical into the corporate at a $6 billion pre-money valuation. Founded by Australian teachers, additionally it is backed by the Australian and Queensland governments.
Qilimanjaro
Qilimanjaro is a Spanish startup specializing in analog quantum app-specific built-in circuits (QASICs) and taking a full-stack method together with {hardware}, software program, and purposes.
Based in Barcelona, it gained the Four Years From Now startup competitors at Mobile World Congress in 2024, happening to obtain €1.5 million in funding from Catalonia later that yr.
Quandela
Quandela is a French startup based in 2017 to develop photonic quantum computer systems.
In November 2023, Quandela raised a €50 million Series B and in addition acquired help from the French authorities by the France 2030 Plan.
Quantinuum
Quantinuum is a quantum computing firm fashioned in 2021 by the merger of Cambridge Quantum and Honeywell Quantum Solutions. Its flagship product is the H-Series of trapped-ion quantum computer systems. In April 2024, along with Microsoft, it introduced a breakthrough in error correction.
QuantWare
QuantWare is a Dutch startup that got here up with a proprietary 3D chip structure, VIO, which focuses on scaling bottlenecks in quantum processing models (QPUs). It began accepting preorders for Contralto-A, its first QPU for quantum error correction, in February 2025.
Founded in 2020, it’s a spinout of TU Delft and its affiliated analysis institute, QuTech. In March 2025, and following a €6 million seed spherical in 2023, it introduced having raised a €20 million Series A (roughly $19.27 million) — together with €5 million in fairness out of the €7.5 million it beforehand secured from the European Innovation Council (the rest is a grant).
QuEra
Boston-based QuEra is betting on impartial atoms because the “greatest method to attain large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer systems.” Its merchandise embrace Aquila, a 256-qubit analog neutral-atom quantum pc launched in 2022 and accessible by way of Amazon Braket.
QuEra is notably backed by Google, which led the $230 debt spherical that the quantum startup raised in February 2025 — with a convertible notice additionally backed by ComfortableBank, Valor, and present traders.
Rigetti Computing
Founded in 2013 by Chad Rigetti, Rigetti Computing is a quantum firm specializing in superconducting know-how. Its vary of merchandise embrace Ankaa-3 and the upcoming 336-qubit Lyra system.
Just like rivals D-Wave and IonQ, Rigetti Computing is a listed firm; it raised just below $200 million in VC capital earlier than going public by way of a SPAC in 2021.
In February 2025, it signed a strategic partnership with Taiwan-based Quanta Computer, which is about to take a position $35 million and buy shares of Rigetti, whereas each corporations make investments greater than $100 million every over the subsequent 5 years to speed up the event and commercialization of superconducting quantum computing.
SEEQC
U.S. quantum startup SEEQC — an acronym for “scalable, vitality environment friendly quantum computing” — is a spinout of chip firm Hypres, which was itself established by former workers of IBM’s superconducting electronics division.
In 2023, SEEQC introduced a partnership with Nvidia to construct an “all-digital, ultra-low-latency chip-to-chip hyperlink between quantum computer systems and GPUs.”
In January 2025, SEEQC raised a $30 million spherical of funding co-led by Booz Allen Ventures and Japanese-European VC agency NordicNinja.
Other backers embrace Merck’s company enterprise capital arm, M Ventures. SEEQC is main the U.Ok.-supported QuPharma undertaking to discover how quantum computing can speed up drug discovery, in partnership with BASF and Merck.
SpinQ
SpinQ is a Chinese startup based in 2018 that develops quantum computer systems. It claims that a few of them are transportable and making use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Xanadu
Xanadu is a Canadian startup aiming to construct quantum computer systems by a photonic method. In January 2025, it launched Aurora, a 12-qubit system together with 35 photonic chips.
Founded in 2016, Xanadu raised some $275 million thus far, together with a $100 million Series C in November 2022 at a $1 billion valuation.
