Intel to acquire Israeli quantum software startup Classiq, reportedly for about $2.3B

What's the deal? Intel has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Classiq, the Tel Aviv-based maker of quantum computing software, the companies announced on 26 October 2026. Intel did not disclose the price; Calcalist's Ctech and Haaretz report it at about $2.3 billion in cash and Intel stock. That would make it the largest acquisition yet in quantum computing, more than double IonQ's roughly $1 billion purchase of Oxford Ionics. The deal needs regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first half of 2027.

Why Intel wants it Intel plans to combine Classiq's automated quantum-algorithm synthesis platform with its own silicon spin-qubit technology and chip manufacturing to become a full-stack quantum provider, adding quantum processing units alongside its CPUs, GPUs and ASICs. It says it will keep supporting Classiq's integrations with other hardware makers so the software stays hardware-agnostic. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has described quantum as a five-to-ten-year strategic direction for the company.

The company Classiq was founded in 2020 by CEO Nir MinerbiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, CPO Amir Naveh and his father, CTO Prof. Yehuda Naveh, a former senior IBM researcher. It employs about 150 people and counts BMW, Rolls-Royce, HSBC, Deloitte, Toshiba and Citi among its customers, according to Ctech, which says annual revenue is in the tens of millions of dollars. Classiq has raised about $200 million, most recently a $110 million round in 2025 that Ctech says valued it at an estimated $600-700 million. Employees hold about 10% of the shares, and Intel has set aside more than $100 million in retention grants.

Investor reaction Avi Eyal of Entrée Capital, which backed Classiq from pre-seed to Series C, said the company "set out to be the EDA layer for quantum: abstract the hardware and let developers build."

Sources: Intel press release · Ctech (Calcalist) · Bloomberg · Avi Eyal on X