The archive · Space, Robots, Defence · Technical decision · 2024–2026
OptQC bets quantum runs at room temperature; NTT leads its ¥7B Series A2
OptQC bets photonic quantum computers that run at room temperature can beat cryogenic rivals — and raises ¥7B (~US$47M) led by NTT within two years of founding.
OptQC
What the business is
OptQC builds optical quantum computers that operate at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, commercializing more than 25 years of photonic research from the University of Tokyo's Furusawa Laboratory.
Starting capital：JPY 650M seed (January 2025), JPY 1.5B Series A1 (October 2025), and a JPY 7.0B Series A2 (August 2026) led by NTT with 20 other corporate and VC investors; total equity JPY 9.15B (~US$61M) and more than JPY 20B (~US$133M) including public R&D grants.
How it started
OptQC was founded on September 2, 2024 by researchers from the University of Tokyo's Furusawa Laboratory, which had spent more than 25 years on optical quantum technology; CEO Kan Takase, a former UTokyo assistant professor, leads the company. Its founding bet was that photons — not cryogenic superconducting circuits — are the practical route to a deployable, fault-tolerant quantum computer.
What happened
OptQC raised a JPY 650M seed in January 2025, a JPY 1.5B Series A1 in October 2025, and on August 25, 2026 announced a JPY 7.0B (~US$47M) Series A2 led by NTT with 20 other investors from telecom, electronics, aerospace, finance and real estate — following an NTT capital and business alliance signed August 3. In July 2026 the company unveiled MoQuren, its first commercial demonstration system, at AIST's G-QuAT center; it is now operational, a step the company calls its move from laboratory results to a running machine. The next processor targets roughly 10,000 qubits and 100x the current machine's performance while keeping room-temperature, atmospheric-pressure operation; the roadmap is embedded in NEDO's post-5G program and JST's Moonshot Goal 6.
How it ended up
Independent and scaling: with MoQuren running at AIST, OptQC is developing the successor 10,000-qubit processor, hiring globally, and building joint business initiatives with its 21 corporate investors under an NTT-led alliance and more than JPY 20B in total funding.
Background
OptQC was founded on September 2, 2024, by researchers tied to the University of Tokyo's Furusawa Laboratory, which spent more than 25 years on optical quantum technology. Its bet is architectural: where most quantum efforts cool superconducting circuits to near absolute zero, OptQC builds photonic machines that run at room temperature and atmospheric pressure — smaller, lower-energy, and compatible with the optical fiber already deployed in data centers.
The funding path compressed into two years: a JPY 650M seed in January 2025, a JPY 1.5B Series A1 in October 2025, and a JPY 7.0B (~US$47M) Series A2 announced August 25, 2026, led by NTT with 20 other investors spanning telecom, electronics, precision instruments, aerospace, real estate and finance. Equity raised totals JPY 9.15B (~US$61M), and including public grants the company has secured more than JPY 20B (~US$133M).
In July 2026 OptQC unveiled MoQuren, its first commercial demonstration system, at AIST's G-QuAT center in Japan, and the machine is now operational — a milestone the company frames as moving from laboratory results to a running system. The successor processor targets roughly 10,000 qubits and about 100x the current machine's performance, preserving room-temperature operation, under NEDO's post-5G program and JST's Moonshot Goal 6.
The round's composition — carriers, manufacturers and financial institutions, not just quantum VCs — signals that Japanese incumbents now treat optical quantum computing as a near-term platform for materials, pharmaceuticals, finance and logistics. OptQC has been named a World Economic Forum 2026 Technology Pioneer and a Forbes JAPAN Top 100 Japanese Startup to Watch 2026, and says it will use the capital to develop the next-generation processor and hire globally.
What has to be true
- The architecture bet is differentiated: photons let OptQC run at room temperature and pressure, eliminating the cryogenic infrastructure superconducting rivals require.
- Backing is corporate and dated: NTT led the JPY 7.0B Series A2 announced August 25, 2026, joined by 20 investors from telecom, electronics, aerospace, finance and real estate.
- The milestone is physical: MoQuren, the first commercial demonstration system, was unveiled in July 2026 at AIST and is now operational — the company moved from lab results to a running machine.
- National programs de-risk the science: selection under NEDO's post-5G program and JST's Moonshot Goal 6 embeds the 10,000-qubit roadmap in Japan's official research agenda.
What can be applied
Pick the physics that removes the customer's constraint: room-temperature photons let OptQC sidestep the cryogenic plumbing that keeps rival quantum machines out of ordinary data centers.
Aftermath
As of August 2026 OptQC is independent and scaling from Tokyo with more than JPY 20B (~US$133M) in total funding, an NTT-led capital and business alliance, and 21 corporate investors. Its MoQuren demonstration machine is operational at AIST's G-QuAT, and the company is building a successor processor targeting roughly 10,000 qubits and 100x performance at room temperature, alongside global hiring in optics, electronics and software. The open question is whether the photonic architecture delivers fault-tolerant results at that scale before superconducting rivals close the practicality gap.
Sources
- OptQC Completes JPY 7.0 Billion Series A2 Financing Round Through Private Placement
- 世界初の実用化へ 100兆円市場狙う日本発「光量子コンピュータ」：高瀬 寛 OptQC
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