Quantum computing firm D-Wave will acquire Quantum Circuits Inc. (QCI) for $550 million.

The purchase price consists of $300m in D-Wave common stock and $250m in cash, the company said in a statement. The deal is expected to close in late January 2026, subject to customary closing and regulatory agreements.

Quantum Circuits is a Yale spin-out that was founded in 2015 by two scientists from the university. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, the company has been developing quantum computing systems based on superconducting technology with a proprietary approach to error correction.

Under the terms of the agreement, QCI will establish a research and development center in New Haven to support D-Wave’s future R&D efforts.

Announcing the acquisition, D-Wave said the deal would allow it to “dramatically accelerate the projected time to a scaled, error-corrected gate-model quantum computer,” with the first deliverable under this expedited roadmap set to be an initial dual-rail system, slated to be generally available in 2026.

By acquiring QCI, D-Wave said it will also become the only company with all three technologies required for scaled, error-corrected superconducting gate-model quantum computing – high-fidelity error-detecting dual-rail qubits, on-chip cryogenic control, and multi-layer superconducting packaging, in addition to cryogenic platforms.

“With this acquisition, we believe that D-Wave has unequivocally cemented its position as the world’s most advanced and established leader in superconducting quantum computing,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. “Together with Quantum Circuits, we expect that D-Wave will leapfrog the industry, bringing gate-model products and services to market in 2026 and rapidly progressing our dual-platform strategy of delivering annealing and gate-model systems to address customers’ full breadth of computational problems.”

Dr. Rob Schoelkopf, chief scientist and co-founder of Quantum Circuits, added: “Fault-tolerant error-corrected quantum computing is within our reach, and this acquisition is expected to significantly speed up the timeline. We believe that no other company has a more powerful qubit with built-in error detection.

“Combining our dual-rail gate-model processor with D-Wave’s scalable control and readout is expected to enable a nearer-term path to large-scale error-corrected gate-model systems. With aggressive roadmaps for both annealing and gate-model technology and a common track record of technology delivery, Quantum Circuits and D-Wave together are in a unique position to address the full spectrum of quantum computing technology.”