Merger and acquisition activity continued in the quantum computing sector this week as Quantum Machines, an enabler of control and operations systems for quantum computing, acquired a small Danish company called QDevil that makes auxiliary electronics and specialized components needed for quantum processing units.
Quantum Machines, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, told Fierce Electronics it would not disclose the financial terms of the deal, but added that the company now has more than 100 employees, 20 of which came from QDevil. While that may not seem like a big deal, talent is at a premium in the rapidly growing quantum computing sector, and augmenting a relatively small staff by 20 can be a game-changer as for accelerating projects.
Quantum Machines also did not rule out the possibility of future acquisitions. The company said via email that it “has great growth ambitions and is focused on helping quantum researchers and engineers that develop, build, and integrate quantum computers achieve their goals fastest with breakthrough technology. We are always pushing our thinking on the best ways of doing that, which may include more acquisitions of the best technologies out there.”
The QDevil acquisition comes several months after Quantum Machines raised $50 million in funding from a range of investors, including Qualcomm. Several other M&A moves have been announced in the sector in recent months, including Pasqal’s merger with Qu&Co, and the deal between special purpose acquisition company DPCM Capital and D-Wave Systems that eventually will allow the latter to go public.
As more companies continue to pursue the development of more advanced quantum processing units (QPUs), Quantum Machines is more focused on becoming a full-stack quantum computing company. “The combination of QM's and QDevil's existing products and product pipeline will move us towards providing the entire quantum computing stack, except for the cryogenic fridges and the actual quantum devices [chips], so that our customers can focus on the qubit device itself and not the rest of the tech stack,” the company said in its email.
QDevil provides expertise around products working at the ultra-low temperatures that QPU chips rely on. “QDevil's voltage source (the QDAC series) provides ultra-low-noise control of the channels needed for tuning qubits for optimal performance,” according to Quantum Machines.
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