The quantum competition among major tech companies presents a prime opportunity for QuantWare.

      The previously hidden realm of quantum computing is beginning to step out from research labs into the public eye, thanks to the advancements made by major tech companies in quantum processors. In recent months, Google has introduced a chip named Willow, Microsoft has presented Majorana, and this week, Amazon has launched Ocelot.

      Although these tech giants are advancing significantly, they are still operating with several dozen qubits, which is far from the quantity required for a functional quantum computer. A startup from the Netherlands, QuantWare, may help them achieve millions more.

      QuantWare asserts that it has developed a 3D chip architecture that provides the quickest pathway to constructing a 1-million qubit quantum computer, with plans to market it to Silicon Valley.

      “We need to reach about a million qubits for a quantum computer capable of performing economically valuable, transformative calculations,” stated Matthijs Rijlaarsdam, co-founder and CEO of QuantWare. He noted that these systems would operate on a megawatt scale, similar to today's AI clusters.

      Qubits serve as the fundamental units of information in a quantum computer, much like bits in a traditional PC. The greater the number of qubits, the faster the machine operates.

      “Even Google required five years to double the qubit count on its chips from 50 to 100,” Rijlaarsdam remarked. “If this is the pace of scaling, we won't reach our goals swiftly enough.”

      Addressing the quantum qubit dilemma

      A significant hurdle in scaling quantum computers is the challenge of accommodating more qubits.

      Current designs direct the electronic signals controlling the qubits to the edges of the chips. However, as the number of qubits increases, available space diminishes.

      Additionally, there are components like amplifiers, filters, and mixers that ensure signals are transmitted at the correct frequency, amplitude, and noise levels for precise quantum computations. In contemporary quantum computers, each component is situated on individual chips within separate metal boxes, resulting in an unsustainable increase in size.

      QuantWare’s primary offering—vertical integration and optimisation, or VIO—aims to tackle the scaling issue faced by quantum computing.

      The 3D chip architecture eliminates edge-based wiring, permitting signals to travel “from above,” which leads to higher qubit densities. VIO also consolidates sizable components like amplifiers and filters onto a single quantum processor or ‘chip’, effectively creating a quantum computing equivalent to integrated circuits in modern PCs.

      “We provide the quickest pathway to scale to a million qubit system,” Rijlaarsdam explained. As VIO allows for all those qubits to be incorporated into one chip, it will be “exponentially faster” than a system composed of multiple connected chips, he added.

      QuantWare was founded in 2020 as a spin-off from TU Delft by Rijlaarsdam and Alessandro Bruno. The startup produces its own quantum chips and amplifiers, which are already utilized in quantum computers across 20 countries. It intends to use VIO to swiftly scale its processors while also offering the technology to other companies developing their own quantum machines.

      Big Tech, significant customers

      As technology giants vie for a functional quantum computer, QuantWare is positioning itself to benefit. The startup aspires to become the quantum counterpart of what TSMC represents for Apple or Microsoft in conventional computing—an enabler rather than a rival.

      “Every breakthrough by Big Tech strengthens QuantWare’s value proposition,” Rijlaarsdam stated.

      Over the last few years, quantum computing has shifted from a theoretical ambition to a technology ready to accelerate various fields, from drug discovery to cryptography. In the previous year, quantum technologies garnered over $49 billion in public and private investments.

      “Quantum computing is now less of a scientific challenge and more of an engineering one, and it will rapidly become an economic issue: how can we scale as efficiently as possible?” Rijlaarsdam remarked.

      Recently, QuantWare secured €20 million in Series A funding to advance VIO and expand its chip manufacturing facilities, with the round co-led by Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund and Innovation Quarter. Job van der Voort, the founder and CEO of Remote, also joined as an angel investor.

      If QuantWare’s gamble on 3D chip architecture succeeds, it could pave the way to reaching the million-qubit threshold necessary for quantum computers that genuinely impact the world. The competition is underway.

      The next significant development in technology will be one of the three primary themes at the TNW Conference, which is scheduled for June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are currently available, and you can receive a 30% discount by using the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at checkout.