ZuriQ raises $25.5M to scale its breakthrough 2D quantum architecture

Swiss quantum computing startup ZuriQ announced it has raised $25.5 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its trapped-ion quantum processors. The round was led by Quantonation with participation from Forward.one, Extantia, Firgun Ventures and existing investors. The investment follows the company's $4.2 million pre-seed round in 2025. Founded as a spin-out from ETH Zurich, ZuriQ is developing a native two-dimensional architecture based on Penning micro-traps. The design replaces oscillating electric fields used in conventional systems with a static magnetic field, enabling ions to move freely across the chip. ZuriQ has demonstrated its approach with a working prototype featuring a three-by-three array of nine individually controlled ions. The company said the demonstrator represents the largest two-dimensional trapped-ion array of its kind to date. The underlying chips were fabricated with manufacturing partner Infineon using established semiconductor production processes. Dr Pavel Hrmo, co-founder and CEO of ZuriQ, said the company deliberately pursued a two-dimensional architecture from the outset, believing it offers a more scalable alternative to conventional trapped-ion designs and a faster path towards industrial applications. ZuriQ will use the new funding to expand its team, accelerate research and development, scale chip fabrication and increase the number of qubits supported by its quantum processor architecture.