Equal1 Announces $60 million in Funding to Accelerate Quantum Computing using Existing Semiconductor Manufacturing

(opens in a new window)Equal1, a quantum semiconductor company and a spin-out company of University College Dublin (UCD), today announced it that is has raised $60 million (€51.5 million) in funding to accelerate development of scalable, silicon-based quantum computers and deployment of its datacenter-ready Bell-1 quantum server. This brings to over $85 million (€73 million) the funding raised by the company to date.

The round was led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), with participation from Atlantic Bridge, the European Innovation Council Fund, Matterwave Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, Elkstone and TNO Ventures.

“This $60 million in funding marks the transition of Equal1 from development to deployment,” said Jason Lynch, CEO, Equal1.

"As AI pushes classical computing into power and cost limits, quantum is the way forward, but only if it can be manufactured and deployed like the rest of the stack. By building quantum processors on standard silicon, we're turning quantum from bespoke hardware into deployable infrastructure - positioning Equal1 as the quantum standard for HPC."

McKinsey (opens in a new window)estimates quantum computing could unlock $100 billion in value by 2035. A key barrier to capturing this value is the cost and specialised infrastructure current technologies demand. Equal1's approach solves this.

As AI drives exponential growth in compute demand, power and cost are becoming major constraints. Quantum computing promises to go far beyond the capabilities of even the most powerful computers today, unlocking applications from new material discovery for better drugs or batteries, next generation grid optimization and financial portfolio optimization. 

At scale, quantum computing will put our current AI compute infrastructure on a more sustainable energy trajectory delivering advantage, not as a replacement, but as a tightly integrated accelerator.

Today's quantum problem isn't physics, it's production. Current quantum computers demand huge investment, custom fabrication, exotic cooling, specialist teams. Equal1 delivers a different model: quantum servers where cost, ease of deployment, power efficiency, and integration are first-order requirements.

Equal1 develops its quantum computers using today’s silicon semiconductor industry. This unlocks semiconductor economics: costs that fall with volume, yields that improve with iteration. Other architectures require dedicated manufacturing infrastructure. Equal1 taps what already exists.

The result is Bell-1, a rack-mounted quantum server for standard datacenter environments. No dilution refrigerators. No dedicated facilities. No team of physicists. It arrives on wheels: roll it in, plug it in, start computing. Equal1 is shipping today, including to ESA's Space HPC Centre in Italy.

The $60 million round, expected to expand with follow-on investors in the coming months, builds on significant technical and commercial momentum. The funding will:

• Deploy Bell-1 into the world's leading HPC centres
• Embed quantum into real workloads
• Advance the company roadmap towards millions of on-chip qubits
• Scale manufacturing through existing foundry partnerships
• Grow the team to deliver production quantum at scale.

“This commitment aligns with ISIF’s double bottom line mandate to invest commercially while supporting economic activity and employment in Ireland. Backing innovative Irish companies like Equal1 as they scale internationally is central to ISIF's scaling indigenous businesses investment theme.

Equal1 is already making its mark in silicon-based quantum technology and we look forward to working with Equal1 as it enters its next phase, helping to realise its vision for the advancement of quantum computing technology in Ireland,” said Brian O’Connor, Senior Investment Director, ISIF.

“Atlantic Bridge, who has helped build the company since inception, recognised Equal1’s potential to fundamentally change the future of quantum computing,” said Gerry Maguire, Board Director at Equal1 and General Partner at Atlantic Bridge.

“This funding milestone is a significant step forward, enabling Equal1 to move from breakthrough innovation to commercialisation, and we are proud to continue supporting the team as they execute on this next phase of growth."

Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, said, “Equal1's approach, building on standard Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible semiconductor manufacturing - aligns directly with Europe's semiconductor and quantum ambitions. The EIC Fund is proud to back a European company turning breakthrough science into industrial reality.”

Amanda Ward, Head of Digital Technologies at Enterprise Ireland said, “Innovation from pioneering Irish businesses like Equal1 are gaining increasing international recognition and Enterprise Ireland is delighted to have supported the company on each stage of its rapid growth.

Our investment is an endorsement of Equal1’s ground-breaking technology, team, and global reach. This investment directly reflects our strategic focus on supporting ambitious companies to scale globally and we look forward to working with Equal1 on their continued growth and scaling plans.”

Equal1 is headquartered at NexusUCD in Dublin, with offices in US, Canada, Romania, Japan and the Netherlands.

ENDS

15 January 2026

For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, NovaUCD, e: (opens in a new window)miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or Alexandra Chan, Beachhut PR, e: (opens in a new window)alexandra@beachhutpr.com. 

Editors Notes

Equal1 is a global leader in silicon-powered quantum computing technology. Its UnityQ processor family, the world’s first hybrid quantum-classical silicon-on-chip (QSoC) technology, integrates all quantum components to deliver unparalleled performance and efficiency in a compact rack-mounted quantum server. 

By consolidating the entire quantum computing system onto a single chip, Equal1 significantly reduces the size and cost of quantum computers, transforming their performance and scalability. This innovation opens up a world of possibilities across various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, finance, materials science, and more.

Equal1’s first generation Quantum machine, the Bell-1 Quantum Server, is now available and shipping to customers. (opens in a new window)https://www.equal1.com/