MADISON, Wis.—In a year-end release, Qolab reported that it closed 2025 with a series of strategic collaborations, product deployments, and industry leadership milestones that underscore growing momentum behind its approach to scalable superconducting quantum hardware.
Together, these advances are said to mark foundational progress toward the company’s mission to build a “commercially useful quantum computer through semiconductor-aligned manufacturing and system-level integration.”
“Qolab is a VC-backed startup focused on developing utility-scale superconducting quantum computers,” the company’s website states. “Our strategy is to partner with the best in the world in specific domain areas—state-of-the-art device fabrication, high-speed control electronics, and high-performance computing—to engineer robust systems compatible with near-term beyond classical applications and ultimately with full fault tolerance.”
Throughout the year, Qolab deepened relationships with leading industrial and technology partners, advanced national quantum initiatives, and expanded its global footprint, laying critical groundwork for the transition from laboratory-scale systems to deployable quantum hardware.
“In 2025 Qolab strengthened its strategic position through investments and collaborations with Applied Ventures and Western Digital, two global leaders in semiconductor manufacturing and precision engineering, and through its role as a co-leader of the Quantum Scaling Alliance, an industry consortium focused on full-stack co-design for deployable quantum–classical computing systems,” the release stated.
Qolab also stated that it contributed to national quantum initiatives supporting shared infrastructure and long-term technology development.
As part of the DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, the company led superconducting quantum hardware efforts within a national consortium that includes Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Synopsys, Quantum Machines, 1Qbit, and the University of Wisconsin. These efforts are aimed at establishing rigorous performance benchmarks for next-generation quantum systems. In addition, Qolab contributed fabrication tooling and performance benchmarking expertise through the Department of Energy’s Quantum Systems Accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
In December, Qolab launched Qolab Start, a superconducting qubit system designed for hardware research and workforce development. The company deployed its first superconducting-qubit devices at the Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC), marking its first international installation and an important step in expanding its global footprint.
The company published multiple technical papers during the year, including Scaffold-Assisted Window Junctions for Superconducting Qubit Fabrication, which introduced a lift-off-free Josephson junction process compatible with semiconductor manufacturing. Statistics of Strongly Coupled Defects in Superconducting Qubits identified lift-off processes as a major source of decoherence, providing critical insights to improve qubit performance and yield.
“Qolab maintained an active presence across the global quantum ecosystem in 2025, with company leaders engaging directly with industry, government, and academic partners in key international markets,” the release state. “As part of a Middle East tour spanning the UAE and Israel, Qolab delivered keynote addresses, technical sessions, and academic lectures focused on advancing scalable quantum hardware. Engagements included visits to CyberQ, NYU Abu Dhabi (ADIA Lab), TII Quantum Labs, Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and in-depth technical discussions with regional research organizations supporting quantum deployment efforts.
The company also participated in major industry and scientific conferences, including APS, IEEE Quantum Week, and AQC, strengthening relationships with researchers, developers, and industry stakeholders across the quantum ecosystem.
Following the awarding of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics to Qolab cofounder and CTO Prof. John M. Martinis, the company saw increased U.S. and international media attention. Coverage linked the award to Qolab’s work in scalable superconducting quantum hardware and semiconductor-aligned fabrication, highlighting the company’s role in translating foundational research into engineered systems.
“Qolab’s mission is to translate decades of scientific progress in superconducting qubits into hardware that can be manufactured, scaled, and deployed,” said Alan Ho, CEO of Qolab, in a statement. “In 2025, we focused on building the technical, industrial, and collaborative foundations needed to move from laboratory systems toward deployable quantum hardware.”