Classiq and TEA TEK Group launch 128-qubit quantum hub in Naples
Classiq and Italian technology group TEA TEK have announced a multi-million-euro strategic partnership to establish a quantum computing hub in Naples, integrating Classiq's software platform with 128-qubit quantum hardware. Services are expected to go live before the end of 2026, once hardware integration with the Classiq platform is finalised.
The Naples facility will be built on the site of the former Whirlpool plant and is positioned by the partners as Quantum as a Service (QaaS) infrastructure capable of serving enterprises, financial institutions, pharmaceutical organisations, universities and public-sector bodies. The technical setup mirrors that already deployed at the Quantum Computing Napoli Lab at the University of Naples Federico II, led by Professor Tafuri, but scales the qubit count to 128. TEA TEK will operate the platform, managing user access and resource allocation, while Classiq supplies the software stack, training programmes and automation tooling.
Nir Minerbi, co-founder and chief executive of Classiq, said the partnership is designed to turn quantum computing into "usable, accessible national and regional capability." Felice Granisso, CEO of TEA TEK Group, framed the hub as a contribution to European readiness ahead of what he described as Q-Day: the point at which quantum systems can challenge current cryptographic standards, which he argued represents not just a cybersecurity risk but "the beginning of a new era of technological and industrial advancement."
Market context
The European quantum market is growing quickly but remains fragmented. Most operational quantum infrastructure is concentrated in a small number of national labs and university-adjacent facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, France and the UK. Commercial QaaS models are still nascent across the continent, with IBM, IQM and a handful of specialist startups among the few providers operating at anything approaching enterprise scale. A Southern Italian hub of this kind would be relatively unusual, and the connection to the Federico II university lab gives TEA TEK a credible applied-research anchor.
Classiq has assembled a notable commercial customer list that includes Rolls-Royce, BMW Group, Comcast and Intesa Sanpaolo, and its backers include SoftBank, AMD, Qualcomm and HSBC alongside European public investors CDP Venture Capital and the European Innovation Council. That existing investor base in Italy and Europe gives the Naples partnership a degree of continuity with the company's regional strategy.
Regulatory and standards read-across
The project sits squarely within the European Union's push for digital and technological sovereignty, a theme that has gained urgency since the EU Chips Act and the European Quantum Flagship programme increased public funding flows into the sector. Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan has directed investment toward deep-tech infrastructure, and a commercially operational quantum hub in the Mezzogiorno would align with several of those stated priorities.
On the cryptographic side, Granisso's invocation of Q-Day reflects a genuine near-term policy concern. NIST finalised its first set of post-quantum cryptographic standards in 2024, and the EU's cybersecurity agency ENISA has published guidance urging organisations to begin migration planning now. A QaaS facility that also supports post-quantum algorithm research could find a receptive audience among financial services and critical-infrastructure operators already running migration pilots.
The partnership does not disclose a total investment figure beyond "multi-million-euro," and no named anchor customers for the commercial QaaS service have been announced. The 2026 launch timeline and the qubit count are the most concrete technical commitments in the release; investors and prospective customers will be looking for fidelity benchmarks and named commercial engagements as the hub moves toward operations.