Some quantum computing startups are betting that compact experimental setups can eventually scale, while others focus on how to expand error correction. ZuriQ is addressing a more fundamental bottleneck: the physical layout of the qubits themselves. The ETH Zurich spinout traps its ions in a flat, two-dimensional grid instead of the linear chains that dominate trapped-ion designs, replacing the oscillating electric fields of conventional systems with a static magnetic field that gives each ion more freedom to move across the processor. This geometry sidesteps the junction networks that one-dimensional architectures must build to connect qubits as their numbers grow, since ions in a plane can navigate without running into routing constraints.
The company has built a working proof-of-concept aboard chips fabricated at Infineon’s standard semiconductor lines — a three-by-three array of nine individually controlled ions reported as the largest planar trapped-ion assembly to date. Co-founder and CEO Dr. Pavel Hrmo said the team committed to the two-dimensional approach from the beginning, believing it would deliver a more direct scaling path than linear trapped-ion processors. That vision attracted a $25.5 million seed round anchored by Quantonation and joined by Forward.one, Extantia, and Firgun Ventures. The company had previously raised $4.2 million in pre-seed funding in 2025.
