Equal1 has raised $60 million in new funding to accelerate development and deployment of its silicon-based quantum computing systems, aiming to make quantum hardware manufacturable and deployable using existing semiconductor manufacturing and standard data center infrastructure. The round was led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), with participation from Atlantic Bridge Ventures, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Matterwave Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, Elkstone, and TNO Ventures. The financing brings Equal1’s total funding to more than $85 million.
Equal1 positions itself as a “quantum semiconductor company,” developing quantum processors on conventional silicon processes rather than relying on bespoke fabrication and highly specialized infrastructure. The company argues that tapping existing foundries can unlock the cost, yield, and scaling dynamics that have defined the modern chip industry.
The company’s flagship system is Bell-1, a rack-mounted quantum server designed for typical data center environments. Equal1 says the product is intended to be installed like standard compute equipment, without dilution refrigerators, dedicated facilities, or specialized onsite physics teams.
Equal1 also highlighted customer validation, including work with the European Space Agency (ESA). The company said it will install Bell-1 at ESA’s Space High Performance Computing (HPC) Center in Italy as part of expanding deployments into real-world compute environments.
The funding is expected to support broader rollouts across leading HPC centers, deeper integration of quantum into production workloads, and continued advancement of Equal1’s roadmap toward significantly higher on-chip qubit counts. The company also plans to scale manufacturing through existing foundry partnerships and expand its team.
Equal1 framed the opportunity around mounting constraints in classical compute—especially power and cost—as AI demand continues to rise. It argues quantum will deliver the greatest advantage as an accelerator integrated into existing infrastructure, rather than as a replacement for classical systems.
The company’s technology platform includes its UnityQ processor family, which it describes as a hybrid quantum-classical “silicon-on-chip” (QSoC) approach that integrates key components onto a single chip to reduce system size, complexity, and cost. Equal1 said Bell-1 is available now and shipping to customers.
KEY QUOTES
“This $60M in funding marks the transition of Equal1 from development to deployment. 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.”
Jason Lynch, CEO, Equal1
“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.”
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. 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.”
Gerry Maguire, Board Director, Equal1; General Partner, Atlantic Bridge
“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.”
Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair, EIC Fund Board
“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.”
Amanda Ward, Head of Digital Technologies, Enterprise Ireland
