Q.ANT, a German company pioneering photonic processing for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC), has announced the second closing of its Series A funding round, securing an additional investment from Duquesne Family Office LLC. The raise brings Q.ANT’s total funding to US$80 million, marking the largest financing round for photonic computing in Europe.
The investment round included current lead investors: Cherry Ventures, UVC Partners, and imec.xpand, along with other deep tech investors. The funds will be used to accelerate commercialization of Q.ANT’s light-based processors, drive next-stage technology development, and support the company’s expansion into the U.S. market.
Q.ANT addresses the energy limits of electronic chips by computing natively with light through its Light Empowered Native Arithmetic (LENA) architecture. The company’s photonic processors, built on Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN), are designed to deliver performance with a fraction of the energy required by electronic chips. The Q.ANT Native Processing Server (NPS), which integrates as a plug-in co-processor, aims to deliver up to 30× greater energy efficiency.
The company aims to make photonic processing a foundational pillar of global AI systems by 2030, radically improving scalability and energy efficiency. Q.ANT operates its own TFLN chip pilot line in collaboration with the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart (IMS CHIPS), capable of producing up to 1,000 wafers per year. This technology is positioned as an innovative alternative to transistor-based systems for next-generation AI and HPC applications.
Read the full announcement here.
October 30, 2025
