Summary

• Coherence Quantum has secured €2.78m in seed funding led by Lifeline Ventures, with participation from technology entrepreneur Mårten Mickos.
• Its technology focuses on cryogenic signal conditioning, including filters, attenuators and plans for denser connections between control equipment and quantum processors.
• The company will establish development facilities in Espoo and work towards commercial prototypes and manufacturing processes, building on earlier testing in dilution refrigerators.

Finnish quantum hardware company Coherence Quantum has raised €2.78 million to develop signalling components that address the wiring, cooling and electrical interference constraints facing manufacturers of larger quantum computers.

The Espoo-based startup, which originated from Aalto University’s Quantum Computing and Devices research group, secured the seed financing in a round led by Lifeline Ventures, with participation from technology entrepreneur Mårten Mickos.

Announced on 20 October, the investment will finance a dedicated laboratory in Espoo, additional product prototypes, manufacturing development, continued research and recruitment. The company is moving technology developed through university research towards components that quantum computer manufacturers could incorporate into their systems.

Its initial products concentrate on cryogenic signal conditioning, with longer-term plans for higher-density interfaces and the movement of more control functions inside the cryostat, closer to the quantum processing unit.

Connections limit the number of usable qubits

Many solid-state quantum processors operate inside dilution refrigerators that maintain temperatures close to absolute zero. Superconducting qubits are particularly sensitive to heat and electromagnetic interference, requiring carefully controlled conditions to preserve their quantum states.

At the same time, processors need electrical and microwave signals to manipulate and measure those states. In conventional architectures, much of the control equipment remains outside the coldest environment, with signals travelling through cables and conditioning components towards the chip.

Each connection occupies space and can introduce unwanted heat or noise. Increasing the number of qubits may therefore require additional wiring, connectors, shielding and signal processing equipment, placing demands on the available volume and cooling capacity.

Coherence Quantum chief executive Aashish Sah described the scale of the problem in an interview accompanying the funding announcement. He estimated that a system containing approximately 1,000 qubits could require at least 3,000 control lines, while existing standard refrigerators may accommodate around 1,000.

Those figures illustrate a particular architectural challenge rather than establishing a universal ratio between qubits and control connections. The exact requirements depend on the processor design and how its control signals are organised.

Manufacturers can address the problem through different combinations of multiplexing, compact cabling, integrated electronics and improved signal conditioning. Coherence Quantum is developing components intended to make those arrangements more practical without compromising the electrical environment around the qubits.

Filtering must preserve control accuracy

The company’s research includes filters and attenuators designed to limit unwanted signals reaching the processor. Such components can reduce interference, but they must also allow engineers to apply the signals needed to perform quantum operations.

This creates a difficult engineering balance. Isolating a qubit from its surroundings can help preserve its state, while controlling and measuring it requires a connection through which energy and information can pass.

Excessive attenuation may interfere with useful control signals, whereas inadequate filtering can allow unwanted disturbances to reach sensitive components. The behaviour of these devices must also remain suitable at extremely low temperatures.

Aalto University’s earlier ProSQu research programme, from which Coherence Quantum developed, examined well-thermalised filters and attenuators intended to reduce heating during qubit manipulation.

The research also described a tunable microfilter approach for protecting qubits from noise and a roadmap involving more compact flexible cables and signal multiplexing. The objective is to reduce the physical infrastructure required to control growing numbers of qubits.

In the October interview, Sah discussed additional research involving adjustable coupling between qubits and their surroundings, together with methods for investigating thermal noise inside the system.

These approaches address related parts of the same engineering problem, although a successful experimental component does not establish that every planned control function can be integrated into a commercial product.

Coherence Quantum says its team has developed and tested multiple generations of prototypes in dilution refrigerators using quantum hardware. That experience provides a technical basis for the new business, while repeatable manufacturing and qualification across different processor platforms remain further development tasks.

Product development moves beyond the university

The company was founded in 2026 following earlier research and commercialisation activity at Aalto. Its founding team includes Sah as chief executive, Suman Kundu as chief technology officer and Erkki Soininen as chief product officer.

Kundu contributed to the development of Aalto University’s 20-qubit Q20 quantum computer, while Soininen previously worked in product leadership at Finnish cryogenics company Bluefors. Aalto professor Mikko Möttönen is a founding adviser.

The combination of experimental quantum research and cryogenic product experience is relevant because commercial customers need components with consistent specifications, suitable mechanical interfaces and documented performance under their operating conditions.

Moving from a research prototype into manufacturing requires repeatability. Engineers must establish whether components produced through the same process behave consistently, how they tolerate installation and repeated thermal cycling, and whether their performance can be tested efficiently before delivery.

Customers will also need to assess compatibility with their control electronics, wiring arrangements and processor architectures. Different qubit technologies may place different demands on signal frequencies, temperature ranges and the physical packaging of components.

Developing a manufacturing process therefore involves more than reproducing an individual laboratory experiment. It requires production methods, quality controls and an understanding of how the finished component performs within a larger system.

The €2.78 million round will support those activities in Espoo, where the company is building facilities close to Aalto and other participants in Finland’s quantum technology ecosystem.

Commercial value depends on system integration

Quantum computer manufacturers already invest heavily in processor development, control electronics and cryogenic infrastructure. Coherence Quantum is targeting part of that supporting equipment rather than seeking to provide an entire quantum computing service.

This positioning could allow it to supply several hardware developers, provided its products can accommodate their different architectures. It also places the company in a market where customers have demanding technical qualification processes and may develop components internally.

The financial benefit of denser or better-conditioned connections depends on the system in which they are installed. Reducing cabling may simplify assembly and improve the use of refrigerator space, while lowering thermal loads could affect the requirements placed on cooling equipment.

Any such savings need to be measured against the cost of the new components, their reliability and the effort required to integrate them. Improved signal isolation also needs to translate into measurable effects on qubit performance under practical operating conditions.

These considerations will influence whether the company’s technology becomes a standard component of future machines or remains suited to particular research architectures.

Finland has established expertise in low-temperature engineering and quantum hardware, giving the startup access to relevant research and industrial experience. Its commercial progress will nevertheless depend on converting that expertise into products that customers can qualify and purchase.

The funding supports the next phase: establishing the Espoo laboratory, developing initial product designs and preparing manufacturing processes. Evidence from customer testing and repeatable component performance will determine how far Coherence Quantum’s technology can relieve the infrastructure constraints of larger quantum processors.