Quantum Motion, a spinout led by UCL and University of Oxford researchers, has raised $160 million (£120 million) from investors to develop commercially available quantum computers using silicon chips.
The company's approach is to develop qubits (the quantum equivalent of binary bits of information in a conventional computer) using industrial silicon chip manufacturing, which the company says is both scalable and energy efficient.
Co-founders Professor John Morton (London Centre for Nanotechnology at UCL) and Professor Simon Benjamin (University of Oxford) said: "As founders we were inspired by the breathtaking accomplishments of silicon technology, with city-like complexity delivered on centimetre scale chips. Now, Quantum Motion's chips can be used not only for bits but also for qubits, unlocking a future in which quantum computers are both fast and ubiquitous."
Quantum computers harness the unusual properties of fundamental particles, like electrons, to make complex calculations that would otherwise be practically impossible to perform, even on today's supercomputers. This is enabled by processors that use "qubits", which can exist in multiple states at once.
One way to realise such qubits is by trapping individual electrons in tiny regions of a semiconductor device called a quantum dot. The amount of computing power that quantum computing promises could dramatically speed up the formulation of new materials, drug discovery or the complex calculations behind modelling climate change.
Quantum Motion's silicon transistor-based approach - the same technology used in every smartphone and laptop chip manufactured today - enables delivering systems with 100-fold reduction in cost and space requirements, and 1,000-fold reduction in energy consumption compared to alternatives. Its systems are designed for deployment into standard data-centre racks, avoiding the need for bespoke facilities and the heavy energy overhead associated with alternative architectures.
James Palles-Dimmock, CEO of Quantum Motion, said: "Today's announcement reflects the strength of the team we have built and the progress they have delivered. Quantum computing will only achieve its full potential if it can be built on a platform that scales, and we believe silicon is the strongest route to achieving that.
"We are pleased to be joined by investors who share our vision and understand what it takes to build a foundational company in this field."
Since its last funding round in 2023, the company has expanded internationally, opening new offices and labs in Spain and Australia.
Last year Quantum Motion also delivered the world's first commercial deployment of a full-stack silicon quantum computer at the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC).
Alongside new investors DCVC, Kembara, British Business Bank and Firgun, the latest funding round is joined by returning backers Oxford Science Enterprises, Inkef, Bosch Ventures, Porsche Automobil Holding SE and Parkwalk Advisors.
