Israeli startup QuamCore raises $26 million for development of million-qubit quantum processor

The Israeli startup QuamCore has raised $26 million in its latest funding round, while aiming to develop a revolutionary type of quantum computer, the company stated on Monday.

QuamCore is trying to overcome one of quantum computing’s most intractable problems – how to scale up its functions.

Until today, the technology has not been refined enough to be practical for real-world applications.

The goal is to build a groundbreaking computer capable of supporting 1 million qubits (quantum bits), which are the building blocks, in a single cryostat, which is essentially a freezer needed to keep the qubits stable.

A solution to this problem would contribute to fields like drug discovery, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, energy and more.

QuamCore raised $26 million in its Series A funding round, bringing its total funding to $35 million, including a $4 million grant from the Israel Innovation Authority.

The Series A was led by Sentinel Global, with participation from Arkin Capital and returning backers Viola Ventures, Earth & Beyond Ventures, Surround Ventures, Rhodium, and qbeat.

The world’s top tech firms like Google and IBM currently have models topping out at some 5,000 qubits per cryogenic module.

“From day one, we focused on the minimum viable system to unlock real-world quantum advantage, and that number is 1 million qubits,” said Alon Cohen, QuamCore’s CEO. “We chose to radically rethink the architecture of the most mature and performant platform: superconducting qubits.”

“Scaling to 1 million qubits is the threshold for real-world quantum advantage,” Cohen added.

“Our architecture rethinks superconducting qubits, the most mature and high-performing platform, to create a compact, scalable system. This funding accelerates our path to chip production and prototype integration.”

Dror Sharon, Partner at Sentinel Global, said that “QuamCore’s roadmap to a million-qubit machine is a game-changer for superconducting quantum technology.”

“Their innovation redefines how we approach scaling, making quantum computing more practical and impactful.”

Instead of creating new technology, QuamCore’s approach focuses on reducing heavy cabling that, until now, has been needed to connect processors to external controllers, but has also contributed to heating, which is highly detrimental to quantum computers.

QuamCore aims to embed superconducting digital control elements into the cryostat, which would make large-scale operations more feasible.

Quantum technology as a whole has been stalled at the stage of scaling, as they become exponentially more complex as more qubits are added.

Arkin Capital CEO Nir Arkin added that “by embedding control logic inside the cryostat, QuamCore removes a critical barrier to scaling. This approach could unlock markets worth trillions by making million-qubit systems economically viable.”