A deep-tech startup in Israel says it has made the breakthrough that will turn the dream of unimaginably powerful quantum computers into a mainstream reality.

QuamCore says it has shrunk the technology that would once need a football field of hardware into what it describes as “a compact box.”

The Israeli company has just emerged from stealth mode after two years of research to announce a breakthrough in superconducting quantum processor architecture – and $9 million to fund further research.

Quantum computers can perform tasks on a scale and at a speed that would be unthinkable for an ordinary computer. For example, in 2023 Google’s Sycamore quantum computer completed a computational task in six seconds that would take the world’s most powerful computer a little over 43 years.

The key to quantum computers is the quantum bits — or qubits – they use, that can exist as 0 and 1 at the same time, unlike ordinary binary bits that are 0 or 1.

Sycamore had 53 qubits at the time. The biggest quantum computers today have 5,000. But QuamCore says it can build one with a million qubits.

The challenge for quantum computing has always been scale. Building a machine with mind-boggling power is one thing, but doing it practically and affordably, and managing the immense heat created by such computers, is another.

QuamCore says it has solved the “critical scalability challenges” faced since the first (2-qubit) quantum computer performed its first calculation in 1998.

It says that integrating a processor with 1 million qubits into a single cryostat – the ultra-cold chamber where quantum computing happens — is a milestone previously thought impossible.

“This breakthrough dramatically reduces the size, energy consumption, and cost of quantum computers, unlocking practical applications across pharmaceuticals, AI, materials science, and energy,” the company said.

Until now the traditional electronics that control the processor were located outside the cryostat – requiring literally millions of cables to connect them to each other.

“What once required a football field of hardware can now, with QuamCore’s technology, be condensed into a compact box — fundamentally reshaping the economics and accessibility of quantum computing,” the company said.

The unprecedented power of quantum computing will transform entire industries, among them healthcare and drug discovery, financial services, supply chain and logistics, energy, material sciences and pharmaceuticals. Quantum computers will potentially solve problems in minutes that would take classical computers millions of years.

Alon Cohen, CEO of QuamCore, said: “The challenge in quantum computing isn’t just adding more qubits – it’s how you scale without hitting fundamental barriers.

“From the outset, we understood that reaching 1 million qubits was the threshold for unlocking real-world value. But we also saw that this required a radical rethinking of quantum processor architecture. We explored multiple approaches and found a path that actually works.”

Zvika Orron, general partner at Viola Ventures, said: “The world is still waiting for a commercially viable quantum computer, and no one has had a clear path to get there — until now.”

Viola led the $9 million funding round together with Earth & Beyond Ventures, both based in Herzliya, central Israel.

“QuamCore’s breakthrough isn’t just about making quantum computers smaller,” said Orron. “It’s about enabling large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing for the first time. Just as transistors replaced vacuum tubes, QuamCore is redefining what’s possible in quantum.”