Insider Brief
- Equal1 raised $60 million in a funding round led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to accelerate deployment of its silicon-based Bell-1 quantum server and scale toward datacenter-ready quantum computing.
- The company is using standard silicon semiconductor manufacturing to reduce cost, power consumption, and infrastructure complexity compared with bespoke quantum systems, positioning quantum computing as an integrated accelerator for HPC and AI workloads.
- The funding will support deployment of Bell-1 systems in leading HPC centers, expansion of manufacturing through existing foundries, workforce growth, and progress toward large-scale, on-chip qubit architectures.
PRESS RELEASE — Equal1, a quantum semiconductor company, today announced it has raised $60M to accelerate development of scalable, silicon-based quantum computers and deployment of its datacenter-ready Bell-1 quantum server.
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.
McKinsey 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 $60M 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 $60M in funding marks the transition of Equal1 from development to deployment,” said Jason Lynch, CEO of 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.”
“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 at 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.”
