Intel agrees to buy quantum software firm Classiq

Intel has agreed to acquire Israeli quantum software company Classiq, bringing its algorithm-design platform together with Intel’s silicon spin-qubit research. Intel announced the agreement on 26 October.

Israeli financial newspaper Globes reports a value of about $2.2 billion after accounting for Classiq’s cash. The companies expect the transaction to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

Classiq turns a task into a quantum circuit

A quantum algorithm must be expressed as operations a quantum processor can execute. Classiq’s platform lets developers describe a desired calculation at a higher level and synthesises a circuit for a target system. The approach is intended to reduce the amount of gate-by-gate design work required as algorithms grow.

The platform supports several kinds of quantum hardware and simulators. Intel says it intends to continue those integrations after the acquisition closes and keep Classiq’s software usable across different qubit technologies.

Intel works on silicon spin qubits

Intel has researched quantum hardware since 2015. Its approach uses the spin of electrons in silicon as qubits, the units used to represent quantum information. The company also develops control electronics for operating those chips at low temperatures.

Bringing the two layers together would give Intel a software platform for designing quantum applications alongside its own processor and manufacturing research. Intel compares the role of Classiq’s software with the design tools that helped engineers work on increasingly complex conventional chips.

The deal still needs to close

Intel and Classiq remain separate companies while the transaction goes through the required approvals. Intel says the proposed combination is intended to create a more complete quantum computing platform, from application design to hardware.

Globes reports that Classiq will become Intel’s global quantum development centre after the deal. Intel’s own announcement emphasises continued support for Classiq’s existing multi-platform integrations, a feature for customers testing software on different machines.