Inside Horizon Quantum’s offices in Singapore on December 3, 2025. The software company claimed it was the first private company to deploy a commercial quantum computer in the city-state.
Shaying | CNBC International
Singapore-based software company Horizon Quantum said Wednesday it has become the first private company to operate a quantum computer for commercial purposes in the city-state, a milestone ahead of its plans to go public in the United States.
The startup, founded in 2018 by quantum researcher Joe Fitzsimmons, said the machine is now fully operational. It integrates components from quantum computing suppliers such as Maybell Quantum and Quantum Machines. righetti computing.
Horizon Quantum says this new computer will also make it the first pure-use quantum software company to have its own quantum computer, and the company expects this integration to help advance promising technologies.
CEO Fitzsimmons told CNBC that the company is “focused on helping developers do real-world work with quantum computers.” “How do I get the most out of these systems? How do I program them?”
Horizon Quantum builds the software tools and infrastructure needed to power quantum computing system applications.
“While we are focused on the software side, it is very important to understand how the stack works all the way down to the physical level, which is why we have a testbed in place right now,” Fitzsimmons said.
quantum competition
Horizon Quantum hopes to use its new hardware to accelerate the development of real-world quantum applications across industries from pharmaceuticals to finance.
Quantum systems aim to harness the principles of quantum mechanics to tackle problems that are too complex for classical machines.
For example, designing new drugs that require simulation of molecular interactions or running millions of scenarios to assess portfolio risk can be time-consuming and computationally expensive on traditional machines. Quantum computing is expected to provide faster and more accurate models to address these issues.
A top Google executive working on quantum computers told CNBC in March that he believes the technology is only five years away from being commercially available.
Still, today’s quantum systems are still in the early stages of development and pose many engineering and programming challenges.
But investment in the sector is increasing as major tech companies report technological advances. alphabet, microsoft, Amazon and IBMhas already poured millions of dollars into quantum computing, along with the US government.
Investor attention also increased in June. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang struck an upbeat note, saying quantum computing was nearing an “inflection point” and that practical applications could come sooner than expected.
Listed on Nasdaq
Horizon Quantum’s announcement comes ahead of its merger with Horizon Quantum. dMY Squared Technology Group Co., Ltd.special acquisition purpose company. The deal, agreed in September, aims to list Horizon on the Nasdaq under the ticker “HQ.”
The software company announced in September that the deal values the company at approximately $503 million and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.
The quantum computer launch will also help solidify Singapore’s ambitions to become a regional quantum computing hub. The city-state has invested heavily in this technology over the years, establishing its first quantum research center in 2007.
Before Horizon Quantum’s system went live, Singapore had one quantum computer, which was reportedly used primarily for research purposes. Meanwhile, US-based company Quantinuum plans to introduce another commercial system in 2026.
Singapore’s National Quantum Strategy, announced in May 2024, committed S$300 million over five years to expand the sector, with the majority going towards building local quantum computer processors.
In May 2024, Singapore’s national quantum initiative, the National Quantum Strategy (NQS), pledged approximately S$300 million over five years to strengthen development in the field, with the majority going towards building local quantum computer processors.
