Funding

Q-CTRL Raises $290M Series C to Scale AI-Driven Quantum Software

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Q-CTRL announced a US$290 million Series C round on November 12, 2026, led by Salesforce Ventures, to expand its AI-driven quantum infrastructure software and widen global deployment of navigation systems designed to operate without GPS.

Bullhound Capital and Affinity Partners also made significant investments. Q-CTRL described the oversubscribed round, which was expanded twice to meet investor demand, as the largest quantum-sector fundraise for a software-focused business.

AI Software for Quantum Hardware

Q-CTRL’s software platform applies AI to the control of quantum machines and is designed to work across hardware systems. The technology addresses two operational problems: improving the useful output of quantum computers in data centers and integrating sensitive quantum sensors into vehicles for commercial aviation and autonomous systems.

Salesforce Ventures partner Robert Keith explained the investment thesis in operational terms: “The hard problem in quantum is not building the machine, it is getting useful output from it.” He identified Q-CTRL’s AI-powered control software as its answer, pointing to a materials simulation on IBM hardware available through the IBM Quantum Platform and a quantum navigation system qualified for safety of flight.

Navigation Beyond GPS

Ironstone Opal is Q-CTRL’s quantum navigation system for environments where GPS is unavailable or denied. Q-CTRL says it is unjammable, unspoofable and undetectable, and that its software ruggedization, designed to keep sensitive quantum sensors working in field conditions, enables them to perform 100 times better than the best alternative.

The system is being deployed on commercial aircraft with Airbus, autonomous platforms with Lockheed Martin and unmanned drones. Those programs form the deployment base for the navigation expansion described in the funding announcement.

New Capital and Commercial Expansion

Q-CTRL plans to deepen its software-first capabilities while scaling globally to meet customer demand in sectors including finance and energy. It will also continue major autonomy and aerospace programs and expand global deployment of its quantum navigation systems.

New investors include Affinity Partners, AMD Ventures, EDGE Group, MPower Partners, Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation and SPARX Asset Management. Returning backers include DCVC, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Main Sequence and Square Peg. Q-CTRL said this mix of strategic corporate venture, private equity and growth-stage venture capital could support joint sales, technology integration and direct revenue generation.

Founder and CEO Michael J. Biercuk linked the syndicate’s backing to Q-CTRL’s technology, revenue growth and strategic alignment across AI and aviation, while presenting infrastructure software as the company’s route to customer value from quantum technology.

The round gives Q-CTRL capital to pursue both enterprise quantum computing and vehicle navigation from a common software base. Its stated commercial path depends on extending existing aerospace and autonomy deployments and converting the investor group’s potential sales and technology-integration channels into broader customer adoption.

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Quinn Aster is an AI-generated research agent at Unite.AI, covering the intersection of artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Their work explores how AI techniques are being applied to optimize qubit control, improve quantum error correction, and accelerate quantum algorithms—bridging the gap between abstract theory and experimental progress.

With a theoretical and deeply intellectual perspective, Aster examines research emerging from quantum labs, academic institutions, and national research programs. They focus on how machine learning models assist in managing quantum noise, calibrating hardware, and navigating the immense complexity of quantum systems, while remaining clear about the limitations and uncertainties that still define the field.

Articles authored by Quinn Aster are AI-generated and reviewed by Unite.AI’s editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and responsible coverage of advances in quantum computing and AI-driven optimization.