What C12 Quantum Electronics does

C12 Quantum Electronics SAS is a Paris-based deeptech company founded in 2020 as a spin-out of the ENS Physics Lab, developing quantum processors based on isotopically purified carbon-12 nanotube spin qubits suspended above silicon chips with microwave resonators. The company's core technical differentiator is material purity: by using carbon-12 (zero nuclear spin) nanotubes, C12 reports coherence times two orders of magnitude larger than previously measured in carbon-based quantum circuits, combined with a patented Pick & Place nanoassembly process that reduces qubit variability. The architecture is CMOS-compatible, positioning the company to leverage existing semiconductor fabrication infrastructure for industrial-scale production.

The company's product portfolio spans hardware, software, and services. Carbon nanotube quantum processors form the long-term hardware roadmap (four generations from Aïdôs in 2027 to Panopeia in 2033, targeting 800 logical qubits). Callisto, launched in June 2023 with OVHcloud, is a cloud-based quantum emulator grounded in carbon nanotube physics that supports up to 13 qubits in a free Discovery tier and integrates with Qiskit, OpenQASM, Quantinuum TKET, and Eviden MyQLM. The Promethia Suite offers enterprise programs including Executive Quantum Acculturation, Quantum Developer Training, 6–24 month Proof of Concept engagements, and 6–10 week Quantum Transition Strategy consulting, with Early Access cloud APIs for spin-qubit processors planned for 2026–2027. Customers include Dassault Aviation (heat transfer simulation for hypersonic reentry vehicles via the AQEDP project), Thales (radar optimization), and Air Liquide (hydrogen conversion molecular simulation), with finance and pharma as secondary segments.

Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based enterprise programs (PoCs, consulting, training) and Callisto subscriptions, supplemented by significant public funding including a €13.9M France 2030 grant under the QARTIQ industrialization project. C12 is part of France's PROQCIMA program alongside four other French quantum computing startups, with cumulative French public quantum investment exceeding €3.3B since 2021. The company is venture-backed by 360 Capital, Bpifrance, Airbus Ventures, BNP Paribas Développement, Varsity Capital, EIC Fund, and Verve Ventures, with ~80 employees as of late 2025.

Name

C12 Quantum Electronics

Legal name

C12 Quantum Electronics SAS

Website

https://c12qe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

C12 Quantum Electronics is a Paris-based deeptech company building carbon-12 nanotube spin-qubit quantum processors with industry-leading coherence times. It serves enterprise customers in aerospace, defense, and chemicals through its Callisto emulator, Promethia Suite consulting programs, and forthcoming CMOS-compatible quantum hardware.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quantum Computing Hardware

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

QPU Packaging, Interconnects & Chiplets (Quantum Processor Integration) (HDAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quantum Control, Cryogenics & Measurement Research (HDAGAMAC), Quantum Control Software & Pulse-Level Programming (HDAGACAJ), Quantum Circuit Compilation & Optimization (HDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Quantum computing hardware
• Carbon nanotube processors
• Quantum simulation software
• Fault-tolerant quantum systems
• Quantum chip manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Quantum Hardware Processors: Sale and licensing of carbon nanotube-based quantum processors and spin-qubit hardware to enterprises. Early Access to spin-qubit processors through secure cloud APIs planned for 2026–2027.
2. Callisto Quantum Emulator (Software/SaaS): Cloud-based quantum emulator with tiered editions: Discovery (free up to 13 qubits), Researcher (scientific community, more qubits via cloud), and Professional (enterprise hybrid classical/quantum algorithms). Revenue from cloud access subscriptions.
3. Promethia Suite Enterprise Programs: Professional services including Executive Quantum Acculturation (half-day), Quantum Developer Training (1 day), Proof of Concept programs (6–24 months), and Quantum Transition Strategy engagements (6–10 weeks). Revenue from consulting and professional services engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

C12 Quantum Electronics develops reliable quantum processors based on isotopically purified carbon-12 nanotubes suspended above silicon chips as spin qubits, offering coherence times two orders of magnitude larger than previously measured in carbon-based quantum circuits. The company sells a realistic quantum emulator (Callisto) for algorithm development, a quantum processor roadmap targeting utility-scale fault-tolerant computing by 2033, and a professional services suite (Promethia) for enterprise quantum adoption including PoCs and executive training.

Product overview

C12 Quantum Electronics offers a carbon nanotube-based quantum computing platform comprising hardware processors and software tools. The core offering includes carbon nanotube spin-qubit quantum processors and the Callisto quantum emulator/digital twin, complemented by the Promethia Suite enterprise adoption program. Callisto enables developers to design and test quantum algorithms on realistic hardware simulations before C12's physical processors become available. The company is developing a four-generation processor roadmap (2027-2033) targeting utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing with up to 800 logical qubits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Callisto: Quantum emulator that realistically replicates carbon nanotube-based quantum computer capabilities, allowing developers to design and test quantum algorithms with noise modeling.
• Promethia Suite

Products and services

• Callisto Quantum Emulator Realistic cloud-based quantum emulator that replicates C12's carbon nanotube spin-qubit processor behavior. Supports up to 13 qubits in the Discovery edition with sophisticated noise models accounting for decoherence from charge noise, phonon noise, and qubit relaxation. Provides a high-fidelity universal quantum gate set, mid-circuit measurement, and noisy initialization, with backend integration for Qiskit, OpenQASM, Quantinuum TKET, and Eviden MyQLM. Offered in Discovery (free), Researcher, and Professional (enterprise) tiers.
• Promethia Suite

Quantifiable outcome

• Coherence times two orders of magnitude larger than previously measured in carbon-based quantum circuits, validated in Nature Communications (January 2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• QC DesigncoreTechnology or Integration · 16 March 2026C12 adopted QC Design's Plaquette software to simulate and optimize fault-tolerant quantum computing designs under realistic noise models. C12 uses isotopically purified carbon-12 nanotubes to achieve coherence times two orders of magnitude larger, enabling evaluation of quantum LDPC codes compatible with its high-connectivity architecture. Partnership benchmarks error-correcting codes as C12 scales toward demonstrating logical qubits.
• ClassiqcoreTechnology or Integration · 27 January 2026Strategic integration partnership linking C12's carbon-nanotube spin-qubit quantum processors with Classiq's enterprise-grade quantum software platform. Classiq's platform now supports C12's Callisto digital twin, enabling developers to design, compile, and test noise-aware quantum algorithms aligned with C12's future hardware. Available to select customers with joint demonstrations planned at industry events.
• Dassault AviationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026Dassault Aviation provides the industrial use case for the AQEDP (Advancing Quantum Exploration for Discretized Physics) project, defining heat transfer problems focusing on micro heat exchangers for reentry applications. The collaboration develops hybrid quantum-classical approaches for solving discretized partial differential equations for aerospace design workflows.
• IRT SystemXminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026Develops the algorithmic backbone of the AQEDP project, contributes systems engineering capabilities and hosts the PhD researcher working on quantum algorithms for discretized physics.
• Institut Neel / CNRSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026LMF (CNRS)/Inria supervises scientific work and provides expertise in quantum algorithms and compilation for the AQEDP project.
• Île-de-France RegionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026Finances the AQEDP project and supports development, strengthening the regional quantum and HPC ecosystem in Île-de-France.
• Systematic Paris-RegionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026Supports the AQEDP project within the regional innovation framework in the Paris region.
• ThalesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026C12 and Thales used the Callisto emulator to test quantum annealing for radar MWIS (Maximum Weight Independent Set) optimization ahead of future hardware deployment.
• QuantinuumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2025C12 collaborated with Quantinuum on research published on arXiv, applying quantum algorithms to atomic layer deposition (ALD) — a crucial process in semiconductor manufacturing. Demonstrated how quantum computing can improve reaction modeling and overcome limitations of classical DFT methods at transition states.
• OVHcloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 13 June 2023Partnership for cloud deployment of Callisto quantum emulator, making C12's digital twin technology widely accessible to students, researchers, and enterprises in France, Europe, and globally. OVHcloud provides European cloud infrastructure for the Callisto platform.
• CEA-LeticoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2023Strategic partnership with CEA-Leti for pre-industrialization of carbon nanotube quantum processors on 200mm silicon wafers using CMOS-compatible processes. CEA-Leti provides ~50 pieces of pre-production equipment in its Grenoble cleanroom for quantum chip fabrication at industrial scale. Expected prototype by 2024.
• ATEMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2022QRYOLink consortium partner (€8M budget, 54 months). ATEM leads the project developing next-generation microwave cabling for cryogenic quantum machines to enable scaling from few qubits to one million physical qubits.
• Alice & BobminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2022QRYOLink consortium partner bringing expertise in RF, cryogenic, and quantum domain constraints and interactions, playing a specification role.
• CRYOCONCEPT (Air Liquide)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2022QRYOLink consortium partner specializing in ultra-low temperature refrigerators for quantum computing research.
• RADIALLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2022QRYOLink consortium partner contributing RF components (attenuator switches) and coaxial connector development for cryogenic quantum systems.
• Institut Neel (CNRS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2022QRYOLink consortium partner contributing expertise in measurement of nanostructures at extreme environments (low noise, low temperature, high magnetic field) and quantum manipulation of individual electrons.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Alice & Bob: Paris-based quantum hardware startup building superconducting cat qubits; co-partner with C12 in the QRYOLink cryogenic cabling consortium. Closest geographic and stage peer, competing for the same French quantum funding and enterprise customers.
• Pasqal: French neutral-atom quantum computing startup also part of France's PROQCIMA program. Direct competitor for the same government grants, enterprise pilots in chemicals and finance, and developer mindshare in Europe.
• Quantinuum: Trapped-ion quantum computing leader (Honeywell/Cambridge Quantum merger). Active research collaborator with C12 on arXiv (ALD chemistry) and provider of TKET, integrated with C12's Callisto emulator. Competes for the same enterprise quantum-applications market.
• IonQ: Public trapped-ion quantum computing company selling enterprise cloud access. Competes with C12 for the same enterprise PoC and early-hardware-access budgets in chemistry, finance, and optimization.
• Rigetti Computing: US-listed superconducting quantum hardware company with similar pre-utility-scale commercial profile. Closely comparable in stage, hardware-not-yet-profitable positioning, and need to demonstrate fault-tolerance roadmap credibility.
• PsiQuantum: Photonic quantum computing company pursuing utility-scale fault-tolerance with massive capital base. Competes with C12 for the same long-horizon enterprise and government customers expecting million-qubit-class systems.
• Quandela: French photonic quantum computing startup also within the France 2030 PROQCIMA program. Competes for the same French government funding and European enterprise customers in similar verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Intel Quantum: Silicon-spin qubit program from Intel, the most architecturally adjacent incumbent to C12's spin-qubit approach. Uses standard CMOS fab but on silicon rather than carbon nanotubes; competes for the same fault-tolerant spin-qubit narrative.
• IBM Quantum: Superconducting quantum hardware leader with the deepest enterprise software stack (Qiskit), cloud access, and fault-tolerant roadmap. C12 integrates with Qiskit via Callisto but competes against IBM for global enterprise quantum budgets.

Emerging players

• QuEra Computing: Neutral-atom quantum computing startup with strong academic spin-out (Harvard/MIT) and emerging enterprise traction. Comparable in stage and modality-credibility profile; competes for global enterprise access deals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/c12_quantum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c12-quantum-electronics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C12 Quantum Electronics