Intel to buy quantum software firm Classiq for about $2.3bn

Intel has agreed to buy Classiq, an Israeli startup that makes software for programming quantum computers.

The chipmaker announced the deal on Monday without giving a price, but it is worth about $2.3bn, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Intel declined to comment on the figure.

Quantum computers use qubits, which can handle certain problems, such as simulating molecules, far faster than ordinary chips. But writing programs for them is hard and usually needs specialists.

Classiq tries to make that easier. Its platform lets developers describe what they want a program to do and then designs the quantum circuit for them, much as chip design software does for regular processors. It works across different types of quantum hardware, and customers include BMW and HSBC.

Intel has worked on quantum computing since 2015, building qubits on silicon with the same equipment it uses for ordinary chips.

Adding Classiq would give it what the industry calls a full stack: both the processors and the software to use them.

“Joining forces with Classiq transforms Intel’s Quantum Computing Group into a full-stack quantum computing business,” said Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan.

Intel said it would keep Classiq’s software working with other companies’ quantum hardware, and that Classiq would become its global development centre for quantum computing. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval.

Classiq was founded by chief executive Nir Minerbi, Amir Naveh and Yehuda Naveh. It has raised just over $200m and was valued at about $600m to $700m in 2025, Israeli outlet Calcalist reported, according to Ynet.

Tan was among Classiq’s investors, joining its 2022 and 2025 funding rounds. He did not take part in the deal talks because of that stake, Calcalist reported. Tan’s links to companies that do business with Intel have drawn attention before.

The purchase comes as Intel’s turnaround gathers pace. Its shares have nearly tripled this year, and in August it sold $15bn of stock to fund its chip factories.