Trapped-ion quantum computers are known for accuracy, but scaling them remains difficult. Most systems arrange ions in a single line, which becomes harder to control as more qubits are added. ZuriQ is trying to solve that problem by spreading ions across a two-dimensional chip.
The ETH Zürich spinout has raised $25.5 million in Seed funding, led by Quantonation, with participation from Forward.one, Extantia, Firgun Ventures and existing investors. The company previously raised $4.2 million in 2025.
Founded by Pavel Hrmo, Tobias Sägesser and Shreyans Jain, ZuriQ uses Penning micro-traps, static magnetic fields and DC electrodes to hold and move ions above a chip surface. A two-dimensional layout can expand in two directions, potentially supporting denser qubit arrangements, easier routing and future error-correction systems.
ZuriQ has built a 3×3 demonstrator containing nine individually controlled ions. The company describes it as the largest native two-dimensional trapped-ion array demonstrated so far. The prototype was developed in about 18 months with ETH Zürich.
Infineon has fabricated several versions of ZuriQ’s chips using established semiconductor processes. According to Extantia, four chip iterations worked after production, giving the company a possible route to scale without building its own specialized factory.
The funding will support hiring, research and faster chip development. ZuriQ has grown from four employees to 18 and is now targeting processors with hundreds of qubits.
The remaining challenge is scale. ZuriQ has shown that two-dimensional ion control works with nine ions. It must now prove that the same stability and accuracy can be maintained when that number reaches hundreds.
Source : Extantia Capital
