Intel agreed to buy Israeli quantum software startup Classiq in quantum computing push

Intel has announced plans to acquire quantum computing software startup Classiq Technologies Ltd. for $2.2 billion, marking the second-largest acquisition in the company's history after its $15.3 billion purchase of Mobileye in 2017. Classiq is an Israeli-based company that has developed an operating system for quantum computing, enabling the execution of complex algorithms on various quantum computers.

The software is agnostic to the different types of quantum machines being developed by companies such as IBM, Google, and IonQ, including those using trapped ions, superconductors, photons, carbon nanotubes, topological networks, and Intel's spin qubit system. Classiq's platform allows developers to design, build, test, and run quantum software on any type of quantum computer, potentially saving significant costs associated with real-world testing.

The acquisition follows in Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan's footsteps, as he was one of the early investors in Classiq through its $33 million Series B funding round in 2022 and $110 million Series C round in 2025. With this deal, Intel aims to establish a global development center for quantum computing and integrate Classiq's platform with its existing quantum spin-qubit manufacturing process, creating a user-friendly full-stack quantum computing platform.

Intel sees Classiq's technology as having the potential to transform quantum computing into a mainstream computing platform, similar to how electronic design automation and computer-aided design software revolutionized chip design and advanced engineering.