NewsSep 25, 2026, 14:29 UTC

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan: quantum computing is a 5-10 year strategic direction, ~70 people already on it

What's the deal? Intel chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan said the company has about 70 people working on quantum computing and is making it a strategic direction for the next five to ten years. He added that Intel Capital, now under his watch, is investing in quantum computing startups too.

How Intel is building it: Intel's approach centres on silicon spin qubits, which it can manufacture using processes related to conventional transistor production, according to SemiWiki. Its 12-qubit research chip, Tunnel Falls, was fabricated on 300mm wafers using industrial techniques, and the company is pursuing a full stack that includes qubit-control hardware and software.

What Tan said: "I just asked my CTO, Pushkar, quantum computing we have like 70 people working on this, the spin quantum, and we also have a fab," Tan said. He described quantum as "part of the very important strategic direction that Intel want to have in terms of five year, ten years from now."

The investment angle: Intel Capital has been active in the sector in 2026, backing Quantware, a maker of superconducting quantum processors, and Q-Factor, which raised $24 million for neutral-atom systems. Intel Capital has invested more than $20 billion since inception.

Why now? Tan, appointed Intel CEO in March 2025, is one of the most successful chip investors and an early quantum backer. Through venture firm A&E Investments, he backed PsiQuantum and IonQ in 2019, and he sits on PsiQuantum's board as of 2026.

The signal: Intel is betting its manufacturing edge can carry over to quantum hardware, tying the effort to a leader with deep personal ties across the field. The five-to-ten-year horizon frames quantum as a long-term play rather than a near-term product line.

Image credit: jurvetson

Read more: Fireside Alpha (X) · SemiWiki