Classiq

Quantum Computing · Enterprise Software · Semiconductors

Acquisition

Intel reportedly to acquire quantum startup Classiq for $2.3B

Intel's track record of botched Israeli buyouts, from Habana Labs to Granulate, puts pressure on this quantum bet to finally pay off.

• Intel has agreed to acquire Israeli quantum software startup Classiq in a cash-and-stock deal reportedly worth $2.3 billion, though Intel's own announcement did not disclose a price.
• Founded in 2020 by Nir Minerbi, Amir Naveh and Yehuda Naveh, Classiq builds software that lets users design quantum applications without tailoring them to one type of processor, aiming to be a kind of operating system for quantum computing.
• The deal pairs Classiq's algorithm-synthesis platform with Intel's silicon spin-qubit manufacturing and cryogenic control electronics to form what Intel calls a full-stack quantum computing provider.
• Classiq had raised about $200 million total and was valued at roughly $600-700 million in its 2025 Series C, meaning the reported sale price is more than triple that mark.
• At $2.3 billion the acquisition would be the largest ever in quantum computing, topping IonQ's $1 billion purchase of Oxford Ionics a year earlier.
• Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan personally backed Classiq's 2022 Series B before leading Intel and has called the startup an attempt to build the 'next Cadence' for quantum computing, but recused himself from the acquisition talks.
• Intel has a history of turning pricey acquisitions like Habana Labs and Granulate into shuttered or underwhelming businesses, so Classiq tests whether the company under Tan can finally convert a strategic bet into lasting advantage in a still-unproven market.