Israel's Quantum Push: Quantum Machines, Classiq, Quantum Art and the National Program
A small country with big startup habits
Israel is known for cybersecurity, chips and defense tech, and quantum is following the same path. Rather than one national champion building one machine, Israel has many small teams, each solving one piece of the stack. That is a very startup-shaped way to enter an industry, and it is easy to like.
The 2025 funding wave
Calcalist's CTech reported on December 11, 2025 that Israeli quantum startups raised almost 500 million dollars in 2025 across five companies. The reported rounds:
| Company | What it does | Reported round |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum Machines | Hybrid control systems that run and read out quantum chips | 170 million dollar Series C, February 2025, total about 280 million |
| Classiq | Software that designs quantum programs from high level goals (see programming tools) | 110 million dollar Series C (May 12, 2025, per Globes, total then 173 million), plus a later extension reportedly including SoftBank Vision Fund 2 (Calcalist put it at 10 to 20 million dollars, date unconfirmed), bringing the reported total to roughly 185 to 200 million |
| Quantum Art | Trapped-ion hardware (see trapped ions) | 100 million dollar Series A, December 2025, total 124 million |
| Qedma | Error-mitigation software | 26 million dollar Series A, July 2025 |
| QuamCore | Superconducting scaling designs | 26 million dollar Series A, August 2025 |
Globes says Classiq's customers include BMW, Citi and Rolls-Royce. Quantum Art's published roadmap, as relayed by CTech, aims for a 50 qubit system in 2026, a 1,000 qubit line in 2027 and a million qubit system by 2033. Roadmaps are goals, not results, and QuamCore's million qubit design was described as a simulated design that has not been validated. Be a friendly skeptic: celebrate the ambition, then wait for benchmarks (see benchmarks).
CTech and others also reported talks about going public through SPAC mergers for Classiq and Quantum Art. Treat those as reported negotiations, not finished deals.
The government side
The Israel Innovation Authority has published a call for a national quantum computing R&D infrastructure with a budget of NIS 100 million. According to the Authority's press release, the facility must integrate at least three different quantum processing technologies in one framework, be fully set up within 18 months of approval, start offering R&D services such as hardware access, cloud access and algorithm evaluation within the first 12 months, and be run in Israel. It targets industrial companies and user consortia as applicants. The stated goals are a national center for evaluating and adopting quantum technologies, shorter development cycles and a trained workforce.
In a July 29, 2026 interview reported by The Quantum Insider, Authority CEO Dror Bin said the aim is "not in order to create a computer, but rather to create an R&D lab in which different components of hardware and software can be tested." He also said he expects useful quantum applications before the end of the decade and that he wants entrepreneurs and investors to take the lead. That last point is a nice summary of Israel's style.
Project Nexus
Reports of an August 4, 2026 tender (The Quantum Insider and Times of Israel) say the Prime Minister's Office National AI Directorate and the Finance Ministry's Accountant General issued a tender for a nationally owned quantum computer built in Israel, described as the first applied project under Government Decision 4255. The notice reportedly disclosed no budget, timeline or qubit type, and officials are said to expect to buy a machine only once the technology matures. In other words, it is a procurement signal, not a delivery date.
What to watch
- Who wins the NIS 100 million facility and which three technologies it picks.
- Whether Nexus gets a budget and a modality.
- Whether Quantum Art hits its 2026 50 qubit goal.
- Whether the reported listings happen.
Israel shows that you do not need a huge budget to matter in quantum: you need strong engineers, quick founders and customers willing to test early. For the world view see the global quantum race and error correction, which is where several of these firms are aiming. None of this is financial advice, and no company named here is connected to the QNT memecoin.
Sources and further reading
- Israel Innovation Authority: quantum infrastructure call
- The Quantum Insider: Israel pushes for national quantum R&D center (July 29, 2026)
- Globes: Classiq raises 110 million dollars
- Calcalist CTech: Israeli quantum startups raised almost 500 million dollars in 2025
- The Quantum Insider: Israel launches national quantum computer tender (Aug 2026)
- Times of Israel: tender for national quantum computer
- ai2.work: Israel's Project Nexus (Aug 4, 2026, secondary source)
Reported as of 2026-10-09. Funding figures and company valuations change often and some come from investor commentary, so check primary documents before relying on any number. This site is not financial advice. The QNT memecoin is independent and is not linked to any company, lab or government named here, including the real company Quantinuum Ltd.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NIS 100 million Israeli quantum call?
A Israel Innovation Authority call for a national quantum R&D facility that integrates at least three quantum technologies and offers R&D services in Israel.
What is Project Nexus?
A reported August 2026 tender from the Prime Minister's Office and Finance Ministry to build a nationally owned quantum computer in Israel. No budget or timeline was reported.
What does Classiq do?
It makes software that helps design quantum programs, aiming to close the gap between hardware and software.
Does this relate to QNT?
No. QNT is an independent memecoin with no link to these firms or the Israeli government. This is not financial advice.
Keep reading
- The Global Quantum Race: What Governments Are Saying and Spending
A plain English tour of how the US, China, the EU, the UK, India and Japan treat quantum computing as national strategy in 2026. - Quantum Programming Tools and SDKs Explained
What tools do people use to program quantum computers? A general guide to open source SDKs like Qiskit and Cirq, simulators, cloud access and how to choose one. - Trapped Ion Quantum Computers Explained
How do trapped ion quantum computers work? Learn how charged atoms become qubits, why they are accurate, why they are slow, and how they might scale. - Quantum Computing Companies to Know (and Not to Confuse)
A neutral overview of well-known quantum computing companies and what approach each takes, plus how they differ from a memecoin.
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