Intel's $2.3 billion Classiq deal would turn quantum research into a commercial business

Intel plans to acquire Classiq for $2.3 billion, adding quantum software and more than four dozen enterprise customers to a hardware effort that has spent the past decade in research. Classiq's software supports different quantum hardware types, extending beyond Intel's spin-qubit approach. Its customers include Comcast, AT&T, BMW and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Intel cautions that the combined business would not deliver high margins from day one. Classiq was valued at estimates ranging from $400 million to $600 million last year. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of next year.