Intel has announced the acquisition of Classiq, an Israeli quantum computing software company, for $2.2 billion. According to Globes, it is the largest acquisition ever made in the quantum computing field, and Intel's second-largest deal in Israel after its $15.3 billion purchase of Mobileye in 2017.
Classiq, founded by CEO Nir Minerbi together with Yehuda and Amir Naveh, developed a software platform that runs complex algorithms on different types of quantum computers, a hardware-independent operating-system layer of sorts. Following the deal, the company will become Intel's global development center for quantum computing.
For Intel, whose core business is designing and manufacturing processors for computers and servers, the deal is an entry into the software layer of a field that is still early in its commercial life. It is also the first time a large technology company has acquired an Israeli quantum company.