“This is the largest Series A in quantum hardware,” says Maud Vinet, CEO and co-founder of Quobly.

The round brings together a mix of strategic investors, including STMicroelectronics, the Franco-Italian semiconductor giant; Swiss cybersecurity specialist SEALSQ; Air Liquide through its venture capital arm Aliad; as well as the European Innovation Council and Blast.

Existing investors—Quantonation, Supernova Invest, Innovacom, and Bpifrance—also participated in the round.

“With this funding, we are keeping pace in the capital-intensive race against our French competitors,” Vinet adds.

Since its creation in 2022, Quobly had already raised €40 million prior to this Series A.

A Semiconductor-Based Bet on Quantum Industrialization

Quobly is part of a small group of leading French quantum startups, alongside Pasqal, Alice & Bob, C12, and Quandela.

The company is betting on semiconductor manufacturing techniques already widely used in microelectronics to build its quantum computer. Its approach relies on silicon technology, similar to that used in classical computer chips.

“Our technology enables lower-cost machines compared to our competitors. They are directly compatible with existing data centers and supercomputers used by our customers. This represents a significant gain in both time and cost,” explains Vinet.

OVHcloud as First Private Customer

The funding will allow Quobly to strengthen its R&D efforts, deliver its first quantum computer by 2027, and accelerate its international expansion.

Founded in 2022 by Maud Vinet and Tristan Meunier—both researchers from CEA and CNRS—the startup is headquartered in Grenoble, with additional offices in Paris and Taiwan, as well as subsidiaries in Singapore and Sherbrooke, Canada.

The fundraising comes just days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a €1 billion package for the quantum industry, aimed at supporting public procurement, research, and training.

Quobly is already generating around €10 million in revenue through contracts with the French military as part of the “Proqcima” program.

The initiative brings together five major French quantum startups with the goal of delivering two France-built quantum computer prototypes to the state by 2032.

Quobly is also expected to deliver this year a first quantum computer accessible via the cloud through OVHcloud, removing the need for customers to operate their own physical infrastructure.

“We are also targeting major hyperscalers such as AWS or Google Cloud, as well as enterprises running their own computing systems, such as banks or sovereign states,” says Vinet.

Talks of a Sale Put on Hold

To scale its ambitions, Quobly is also relying on its new industrial shareholders.

STMicroelectronics is expected to contribute expertise in semiconductor manufacturing, Air Liquide will help secure access to critical materials, and SEALSQ will support cybersecurity capabilities.

SEALSQ’s involvement is notable: the Swiss company had previously explored acquiring Quobly. However, both parties ultimately decided to suspend discussions.

“It felt more relevant to bring SEALSQ in as a minority shareholder so we could continue developing independently, rather than sell the company outright. That said, we are not ruling out an exit in the future,” Vinet explains.

Quobly currently employs around 100 people and plans to triple its workforce over the next two years.