Intel has agreed to buy Classiq, an Israeli start-up that develops software for quantum computers. Bloomberg reported a price of about $2.3 billion, citing people familiar with the deal. Intel announced the agreement without giving a price and declined to comment on that figure.
Quantum computers use units called qubits and can handle certain tasks, such as simulating molecules, much faster than ordinary chips. However, programming them is difficult and usually requires specialists. Classiq aims to simplify this process: developers describe what a program should do, and its software designs the quantum circuit needed to carry it out.
BMW and HSBC are among the customers using Classiq’s platform, which works with various types of quantum hardware. Intel began pursuing quantum computing in 2015 and makes qubits on silicon using equipment also employed for ordinary chips. The purchase would bring its processors together with the software needed to use them.
Intel says it will continue to support other companies’ quantum hardware through Classiq’s software. Classiq will become Intel’s global development centre for quantum computing. The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027, provided it receives regulatory approval.
