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# Universal Quantum raises €89m for modular quantum computers
- URL: https://www.nupath.eu/universal-quantum-raises-eur89m-for-modular-quantum-computers/
- Published: 2026-10-09T04:19:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-09T04:19:43.000Z
- Author: Christian Triantafillou Schade
- Tags: News, United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, #source_EU-Startups

Brighton-based Universal Quantum secures the UK’s largest quantum Series A with €89 million to scale modular trapped-ion quantum computers. The funding will support global expansion and commercialisation of fault-tolerant systems, including a new R&D centre in Singapore. The round was co-led by DCVC and Firgun Ventures, with participation from EDBI, Artal and other investors. **(EU-STARTUPS)**

[Universal Quantum secures UK’s largest quantum Series A with €89 million to scale modular quantum computersBrighton-based Universal Quantum, a company building large-scale quantum computing systems for real-world use, today announced it has secured over €89 million ($100 million) in Series A funding – reprotedly marking the largest Series A ever raised by a quantum firm in the UK. The funding will accelerate the company’s global expansion, as well as the development and commercialisation of its modular technology, advancing a path towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. The round was co-led by DCVC and Firgun Ventures, with participation from EDBI, Artal, Integral GlobalTech, Main Sequence, Hostplus, NGS Super, IAG Capital, EdenBase, Eigenstate.holdings, and Dave Baszucki (founder and CEO of Roblox), as well as other existing and new strategic investors including Nauta Capital and The Venture Collective. “Universal Quantum’s progress reflects our partners’ belief that we represent one of the most credible paths to quantum computing at scale,” says Dr. Sebastian Weidt, CEO and co-founder of Universal Quantum. “This round unites an extraordinary group of investors from the world’s most important pools of capital around a single mission: delivering utility-scale quantum computing.” Universal Quantum’s Series A comes amid continued investment in European quantum computing hardware in 2026\. According to EU-Startups reporting, seven comparable companies have secured approximately €714 million this year, bringing the combined figure to over €803 million including Universal Quantum’s latest round. In the UK, Oxford Quantum Circuits raised €301 million to expand its Quantum-AI data-centre platform, while Delft-based QuantWare secured €152 million to scale quantum processor manufacturing and France’s Quobly raised €115 million to industrialise silicon-based quantum computers. Particularly relevant to Universal Quantum’s trapped-ion approach are Germany’s eleQtron, which raised €57 million, and Switzerland’s ZuriQ, which secured €22.4 million. Firgun Ventures, co-lead investor in Universal Quantum’s round, also participated in the Oxford Quantum Circuits and ZuriQ financings. EU-Startups previously covered Universal Quantum in June 2020, when the Brighton-based company secured €4 million in Seed funding to develop its modular quantum computing technology. “Universal Quantum brings together world-class scientific leadership with an exceptionally clear approach to quantum computing,” adds Zeynep Korutürk, Founding & Managing Partner of Firgun Ventures. “Having laid some of the earliest foundations for large-scale trapped-ion architectures, Sebastian and Winfried are true pioneers in the field. With Europe under pressure to prove it can compete on frontier technologies, we are proud to invest in a European company that has grown into a global player, one that is well positioned to help define the future of industrial-scale quantum computing.” Universal Quantum was founded in 2018 by Professor Sebastian Weidt and Professor Winfried Hensinger of the University of Sussex, co-authors of the first practical blueprint for a large-scale trapped-ion quantum computer, published in 2017\. What began as an academic vision has since become a global engineering operation, with sites across three continents and more than 100 highly technical FTEs. The company is building utility-scale quantum computers to help confront global challenges. That means reaching the large numbers of high-quality qubits needed to perform real-world tasks, from drug discovery and battery design to climate modelling and many others beyond the reach of classical computers. Its modular trapped-ion architecture and enabling technologies are designed to make this achievable. Today’s new capital will drive the continued development and commercialisation of Universal Quantum’s modular approach to building the quantum computers needed for practical, error-corrected use. The company looks to leverage their patented, world-record interconnect technology and advanced integrated chips to develop the chiplet arrays and control systems required to reduce engineering risk and accelerate the path to larger-scale quantum computers. The funding will also support Universal Quantum’s recently announced expansion in Singapore, where it is establishing its first R&D centre outside Europe, as well as expansion in the United States, Japan and across its German hub in Hamburg. “True quantum utility will be unlocked by companies that are relentlessly focused on the scalability of their machines,” says James Hardiman, General Partner at DCVC. “Universal Quantum’s modular architecture addresses the hardest challenges in scaling ion trap systems. Quantum is a global race, and we are pleased to back a team with genuine standing across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America.” Each chip uses trapped-ion technology, where charged atoms held in place by electric fields act as qubits. Universal Quantum’s approach is designed to connect these modules in a practical, manufacturable way, creating a route to the scale needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing and giving industry partners a clearer path to quantum utility. According to data provided by the company, the quantum technology market could be worth €53-89 billion ($60-100 billion) annually by 2035, while helping to unlock up to €2.4 trillion ($2.7 trillion) of economic value worldwide in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, finance and automotive. “What sets Universal Quantum apart is its ability to win major contracts at this stage of development,” adds Bill Bartee, Managing Partner at Main Sequence. “In a sector where hype and hyperbole are running far ahead of commercial reality, Universal Quantum has built a paying customer base that includes some of the world’s most demanding scientific and government institutions, and has done so before most competitors have shipped any working hardware.” Now delivering against a €68 million ($77 million) contract with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Universal Quantum is establishing a permanent presence via an R&D centre in Singapore, with further international collaborations to be announced soon. 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