Groove Quantum Demonstrates 18-Qubit Spin Processor and Secures Funding

Insider BriefPRESS RELEASE — Groove Quantum today announced it has raised €16 million in combined funding and demonstrated an 18-qubit semiconductor spin-qubit processor, the largest of its kind ever built. The result marks a step beyond small-scale laboratory prototypes toward a quantum processor architecture designed for large-scale integration. The combined funding consists of €10 million in equity and €6 million in grants. The equity seed round is co-led by Innovation Industries, a leading European deep tech fund, and 55 North, the world’s largest pure-play quantum fund, with participation from Verve Ventures and the European Innovation Council Fund. Additional funding is provided by grants from the EIC Accelerator programme and JU Chips Act funding programme further underscores institutional confidence in Groove’s approach. Groove will use the capital to scale qubit count exponentially and to begin manufacturing its processors at established semiconductor foundries.Quantum computers create a fundamentally new way of computing. This opens the door to solving complex challenges that would take today’s most powerful supercomputers impractically long to address, like the discovery of new medicines, and the design of advanced materials for renewable energy – challenges that are highly important and have a profoundly positive impact on humanity.As the global quantum computing market is expected to grow rapidly and unlock $100s of billions in value by 2040, achieving this growth depends on the ability to build systems with millions of reliable qubits, something that remains a major bottleneck across the industry. Many qubit technologies rely on hardware that is physically large or difficult to manufacture reproducibly, limiting their path toward practically relevant systems.While the quantum computing industry mainly works toward scaling, each type of qubit faces its own challenges. Silicon qubits are extremely small, making them difficult to control and connect in large numbers, while for example superconducting qubits are physically large and temperature-sensitive, limiting how many can fit on a single chip. Groove pioneers a new approach, by utilizing germanium, a material tailored for quantum computing while also compatible with today’s chip manufacturing methods. Its qubits strike a practical balance: large enough to be reliably controlled and connected, yet, at a size of a few hundred nanometers, small enough to be densely packed together.This combination could make it easier to build the large-scale quantum systems needed for real-world applications.With their latest results, the demonstration of an 18-qubit semiconductor spin-qubit processor, Groove marks the definitive transition from a promising concept to a scalable platform. Until now, earlier spin-qubit efforts remained limited to small numbers of qubits after many years of development. Groove achieved this milestone in under two years at a fraction of the cost. The company’s 18-qubit device shows that semiconductor spin qubits can be implemented in an extendable architecture designed for scaling. The chip is built in a layout that can be tiled into larger processors and achieves state-of-the-art performance for semiconductor spin qubits. With the new funding, Groove will scale its processors further from 18 to 100 qubits, building a “unit cell” that contains all architectural elements required for further exponential scaling.Dr. Anne-Marije Zwerver, CEO and co-founder of Groove Quantum, says:“Quantum computing will only have real impact if it can be engineered and manufactured at scale. With this funding and our 18-qubit prototype, we’ve shown that semiconductor spin qubits are not just a promising idea. They are ready to scale rapidly, and we believe our approach gives us the best shot at reaching the million-qubit systems that will change the world. We are building technology to be produced and deployed at global commercial scale, just as every substantial semiconductor technology before us.”Crucially, Groove’s processors are built using CMOS-compatible semiconductor technology, the same manufacturing foundation behind every modern CPU and GPU, and the most scalable technology platform humanity has ever developed. Unlike many competing qubit approaches that rely on specialized fabrication processes, Groove’s germanium platform can leverage existing semiconductor supply chains and foundries. This allows quantum processors to benefit directly from decades of advances in semiconductor manufacturing, integration, packaging, and yield. The result is a quantum hardware platform designed not just for better qubits, but for building scalable quantum processors.“The quantum industry remains in its early innings, focusing on short term monetization opportunities for very specific use-cases. Groove has the potential to leapfrog the competition, scaling quantum computing to the level where it unlocks meaningful real-world applications across health, energy, security and beyond”, says Vincent Kamphorst, Investment Director, Innovation Industries.Groove was spun out of Delft in 2024, building on more than two decades of pioneering spin-qubit research. It is led by Dr. Anne-Marije Zwerver (CEO), who pioneered the first quantum dot qubits manufactured in Intel’s industrial cleanroom, and Dr. Nico Hendrickx (CTO), a pioneer in germanium quantum computing and the primary architect of Groove’s foundational technology. The company builds on pioneering breakthroughs from Prof. Menno Veldhorst, Dr. Giordano Scappucci, and Prof. Lieven Vandersypen, who remain involved as Scientific Advisors. Together, the team has authored more than 60 unique publications in Nature, Science, and other leading journals.“Groove’s founders are globally recognised leaders in spin-qubit research. Their contributions have shaped the field and laid the groundwork for scalable semiconductor quantum processors. We see Groove as uniquely positioned to translate world-class science into manufacturable hardware at the speed and scale necessary to capture quantum computing’s commercial promise”, adds Kai M. Hudek, Partner, 55 North.Share this article:Keep track of everything going on in the Quantum Technology Market.In one place.