Quantum computing company Quobly has raised 115 million euros (US$133.9 million) in a series A round led by public investment bank Bpifrance and semiconductor firms SEALSQ and STMicroelectronics.

Half of the funding will be allocated for R&D and industrialization efforts, while the other will support commercialization and international expansion, Quobly co-founder and CEO Maud Vinet told Tech in Asia ahead of the announcement.

Inside a Cryostat, a large refrigeration system used to cool Quobly’s quantum chips to ultra-low temperatures to preserve the quantum properties of its silicon qubits / Photo credit: Quobly

Headquartered in Grenoble, France, the startup plans to bring its first commercial product – a quantum computer – to market by year-end.

Customers of France-based OVHcloud and US-based qBraid will be the first to gain access to these quantum computers, which will be made available in data centers in 2027.

Quobly’s Singapore office will support its R&D and business development efforts in Asia and is targeting a headcount of 10 employees by 2027, according to Vinet. The company, which also has a presence in Canada, set up the subsidiary in October 2025.

The firm does not have any employees in Singapore yet, but it will soon relocate two quantum application developers from France to the city-state.

Quobly is also hiring a “quantum engineer experimentalist” who can support its efforts to co-develop applications with firms targeting local use cases.

Singapore’s role

Quobly is developing silicon-based quantum computers that can deliver large-scale processing power at a size that’s compatible with present-day data centers. The startup also provides software that allows the development of applications using its hardware.

In Singapore, one potential use case of quantum computers is in the maritime sector, where they can optimize shipping routes faster and across more variables than traditional computers can. This can save shipping firms time, fuel, and other raw materials, which in turn can lower costs and reduce the industry’s environmental impact, Vinet said.

Quobly’s leadership team / Photo credit: Quobly

Another application is in the financial sector, where quantum computers can speed up mathematical calculations, optimize portfolios, and cut the time it takes to execute trades.

Vinet noted that the city-state has “expertise in software development” and an ecosystem of startups focused on software and development, complementing the quantum hardware Quobly is developing.

For example, the firm is collaborating with Singapore-based Entropica Labs on fault-tolerant quantum computing technologies.

Vinet did not disclose Quobly’s commercial clients in Asia, but she noted that the startup has an ongoing partnership with firms like Foxconn to co-develop chemistry applications.

The race to industrialization

No quantum chips or computers are in mass production yet, and current estimates point to anywhere between three and seven years before the tech could reach a tipping point.

Currently, Quobly can fit 10 qubits – short for quantum bits, the basic unit of information in quantum computing – on 1 square centimeter of a silicon chip, which is roughly the size of a thumbnail.

Compared to existing quantum computers on the market, Quobly’s machines are 100x smaller and are designed to fit in existing data centers. They also meet current electrical supply and vibration requirements and don’t require capital investments to get started, thereby lowering the barriers to adoption.

“We fit into what already exists,” Vinet said.

She added that the firm plans to begin selling quantum computers with 100 qubits by 2027 and can realistically fit a “million qubits on 1 square centimeter” of a silicon chip in five years.

Quobly has also demonstrated its ability to develop silicon qubits via existing semiconductor manufacturing processes. In particular, it uses the same 300 millimeter fabrication production lines used by semiconductor makers to produce standard silicon chips that power cars or cellphones.

This has allowed Quobly to build quantum computers at a cost that’s “100x cheaper” than its competitors, Vinet explained.

See also: Investors pour in as quantum threat nears reality

Singapore has earmarked S$300 million (US$220 million) for national quantum programs, including research, education, and the purchase of early machines.

In November 2025, the National Quantum Office said a Helios quantum computer would be set up in 2026.

Currency converted from euros to US dollars: 1 euro = US$1.16.