
The federal government’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation has tripled its stake in Silicon Quantum Computing by injecting an extra $40 million into the company.
The capital injection represents the $15 billion sovereign fund’s very first follow-on investment in a portfolio company.
The extra funding builds on an initial $20 million committed to SQC in March via a SAFE note, forming part of an ongoing capital raise for the University of New South Wales quantum research spinout.
It also marks a deepening of Commonwealth backing for the venture; the federal government originally became a shareholder nearly a decade ago with a $25 million seed investment in 2017.
Led by founder Professor Michelle Simmons AC, SQC plans to deploy the capital to rapidly advance its proprietary, world-first atomic-scale manufacturing capabilities.
The Sydney-based firm is currently navigating Stage B of the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency’s rigorous Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, putting it in prime position to contest an additional US$300 million in American military funding.
The NRFC strongly endorsed the company's global edge, noting that SQC remains the only player globally capable of manufacturing quantum chips with absolute atomic precision while simultaneously delivering commercial, quantum-enhanced AI products to enterprise and government clients.