Top Quantum Computing Investors in 2026

Former Microsoft Quantum CTO’s New Chinese-Based Startup Lands Pre-A Funding

Taiyi Quantum, a six-month-old Shanghai-based startup, has raised 300 million yuan (~$44M USD) in a Pre-A funding round led by Gaorong Venture Capital and IDG Capital. The company is led by Liu Hongbin, a former Microsoft Azure Quantum Principal Architect who worked on Microsoft's neutral-atom initiative with Atom Computing. Taiyi is developing a ytterbium-based neutral-atom quantum computer, leveraging laser-trapped atoms as qubits. Ytterbium offers advantages including stable nuclear-spin qubit states, precise laser control, and reduced noise compared to alkali atoms like rubidium or cesium. The large raise for such a young startup signals growing investor confidence in China's quantum computing sector.

ST Unveils Secure Mobile Chip with PQC

STMicroelectronics has launched the ST54M, a single-die secure mobile chip integrating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) hardware acceleration, NFC, secure element, and eSIM functionality. The chip supports PQC algorithms ML-KEM and ML-DSA, and is designed to help OEMs meet anticipated quantum-ready security mandates expected around 2030. It targets applications like contactless payments, digital identity, transit ticketing, and digital car keys. The ST54M has completed Common Criteria EUCC and EMVCo certification testing, includes up to 4.5 MB nonvolatile memory, and is available for sampling with production expected in July 2026.

University of Maryland Grant Targets Quantum and AI Tools for Cancer Research

The University of Maryland is funding a research project combining quantum computing and machine learning to accelerate the discovery of single-atom catalysts for cancer detection and treatment. Part of the university's Grand Challenges Grants Program, the project brings together engineers and computer scientists to build a predictive framework that models complex atomic and chemical behaviors — tasks difficult for classical computers. Quantum simulations would generate reliable databases of electronic structures and catalytic pathways, which machine learning models would then search to identify promising catalyst configurations. The team also plans to release benchmark datasets and reproducible computational tools to support open science. The research is preclinical and focused on discovery, not immediate clinical application.

Airwallex raises $320m at an $11bn valuation, betting on agentic finance

Airwallex huy động thành công 320 triệu USD trong vòng Series H, nâng định giá lên 11 tỷ USD, đồng thời công bố doanh thu thường niên 1,3 tỷ USD và khối lượng giao dịch 287 tỷ USD. Công ty tập trung phát triển "agentic finance" với hai sản phẩm mới: nền tảng tài chính tự động T:0 và ví kỹ thuật số Airi, trong khi sự tham gia của các quỹ crossover gợi ý khả năng IPO sắp tới.

Lập trình viên nên đọc bài này để hiểu cách các công nghệ tài chính tiên tiến như agentic finance, tự động hóa giao dịch và nền tảng AI được xây dựng từ cơ sở hạ tầng phần mềm, từ đó tìm hiểu về các xu hướng mới trong việc tích hợp AI vào hệ thống tài chính và ứng dụng trong thực tế.

Alan raises €480M led by Prosus at €5.5bn

French health insurtech Alan has raised €480M in a Series G round led by Prosus at a €5.5bn valuation, just three months after a previous €100M raise. The company, which now has over €1.2bn in total funding, is profitable in France, serves 1.1 million members, and posted €800M+ in ARR growing 53% year-on-year. Alan's pitch centers on 'prevention insurance' — bundling health cover, care navigation, and AI-driven health assistance into a single app to shift healthcare from reactive to proactive. The capital will fund expansion into new markets, deeper AI investment, and potential acquisitions. The deal is one of Europe's largest non-AI raises of 2025 and a rare bright spot for French tech amid declining startup funding.

Yale Officials Say $4 Million NSF Grant Will Boost Unique Approach to Quantum Computing

Yale's ERASE project has received a $4 million NSF grant to fund a two-year second phase focused on developing a blueprint for a large-scale, error-correcting quantum computer. The project centers on erasure qubits — dual-resonator quantum bits that can flag dominant errors as they occur, simplifying error correction. Partners include D-Wave Quantum (which acquired Yale spin-off Quantum Circuits Inc.), Princeton, the University of Maryland, and Southern Connecticut State University. The phase will expand research, software, algorithm development, and quantum workforce training in Connecticut, with a detailed hardware plan for a future Phase 3.

How AI is changing (the way I do) UX

A UX designer with 10 years of experience shares three observations on how AI is changing UX work. AI-generated prototypes help clients visualize ideas faster and reduce back-and-forth, but risk creating a false sense of completeness by only modeling happy paths. AI tends to favor common design patterns, which can lead to confidently wrong starting points for specific problems — real inspiration often comes from unrelated industries and lived experiences. Qualitative user research, genuine client relationships, and sitting with messy human problems remain the most valuable and least automatable parts of UX work. The post argues that AI is a useful daily tool, but the human skills that were always hardest to automate are now the most important.