What Swabian Instruments does

Swabian Instruments GmbH is a privately held German scientific instrumentation company founded in 2016 as a University of Stuttgart spin-off, headquartered in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen with regional subsidiaries in Boston and Shanghai and distributors covering Korea, Japan, and India. The company designs and manufactures picosecond-resolution time-to-digital converters (Time Tagger 20, Ultra, and X), a digital signal pattern generator (Pulse Streamer 8/2), a Synchronizer for distributed timing applications, and a dynamic light scattering instrument (DLScat). Its core technical differentiator is an FPGA-based, parallelized tapped-delay-line architecture that achieves measured timing jitter down to approximately 2.7 ps RMS, with up to 70 million time tags per second throughput on the Ultra model. All products are accessed through a software-defined data acquisition layer with a Python API, streaming data paths, and network-based remote control (TimeTaggerNetwork, TimeTaggerRPC), enabling researchers to process digital signals on-the-fly with minimal low-level programming.

The firm sells primarily into academic and industrial research laboratories across four core use cases: quantum optics and photonics (single photon counting, entanglement experiments, quantum key distribution, photon number resolution), life sciences (FLIM, time-resolved photoluminescence, fluorescence lifetime flow cytometry), timing and synchronization (White Rabbit, 1 PPS monitoring, frequency stability analysis, optical clock comparison), and adjacent applications such as LiDAR, ODMR, and Brillouin light scattering. Pricing is quote-based, sold one-time via direct regional sales teams and resellers, with revenue derived almost entirely from hardware sales and bundled software rather than recurring licenses.

Swabian participates in a broad set of European quantum technology consortia (Q.Link.X, Quantum Internet Alliance, IQST/STRATUS, QUDOT-TECH, SINPHOSS, the €6M QCyber project with Nokia 2026–2028, and Fraunhofer IAF's SPINNING diamond quantum computer initiative), and it maintains technology and co-marketing partnerships with Photon Spot, Single Quantum, ID Quantique, ISS, Safran, Seven Solutions, Enthought, PHOTEC, and Thorlabs. The company remains founder-led (Helmut Fedder, Michael Schlagmüller, Markus Wick), bootstrapped from an initial EXIST grant, with no disclosed institutional venture capital and three major innovation awards (Innovationspreis Baden-Württemberg 2018, Deutscher Gründerpreis Top 3 2019, Stuttgarter Innovationspreis 2021). It advertises an installed base spanning MIT, ETH Zürich, Harvard, Bristol, Stuttgart, Vienna, Hebrew University, Melbourne, KTH, Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, and others, with over 60 peer-reviewed publications citing its instruments.

Name

Swabian Instruments

Legal name

Swabian Instruments GmbH

Website

https://swabianinstruments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swabian Instruments GmbH designs picosecond-resolution FPGA-based time-to-digital converters, digital pattern generators, and light-scattering instruments, sold to academic and industrial research laboratories worldwide for quantum optics, photonics, life sciences, and precision timing applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Time Distribution & Signal Conversion (1PPS/10MHz/IRIG-B/ToD) (HDAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oscillators & Frequency Standards (OCXO/Rubidium/Cesium/Chip-Scale Atomic) (HDAFAKAG)

Keywords

• Time-tagging instruments
• Single photon counting
• Quantum optics equipment
• Digital signal generators
• Precision timing measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Schwieberdingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Products: Sale of precision measurement instruments including Time Tagger Series (Time Tagger 20, Time Tagger Ultra, Time Tagger X), Pulse Streamer 8/2 signal generator, and Synchronizer. Products sold as one-time capital purchases to research institutions.
2. DLScat System: Sale of Dynamic Light Scattering instruments for materials science and life sciences applications.
3. Software Licenses and Support: Time Tagger Software with versioned releases (v2.17, v2.18, v2.20). Software updates and technical support services bundled with hardware purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Swabian Instruments designs, manufactures, and sells high-performance digital signal handling instruments combining FPGA-based hardware with flexible Python software toolkits and streaming data paths. The portfolio includes the Time Tagger Series (time-to-digital converters with picosecond resolution), Pulse Streamer 8/2 digital pattern generator, Synchronizer for timing management, and DLScat dynamic light scattering instrument. Customers are predominantly universities, research institutes, and corporate R&D laboratories conducting quantum optics, photonics, life sciences, and timing/synchronization experiments.

Product overview

Swabian Instruments provides a portfolio of high-performance digital signal handling instruments combining versatile hardware with flexible software toolkits and streaming data paths. The core offerings include the Time Tagger Series (time-tagging instruments with picosecond resolution for single-photon counting), Pulse Streamer 8/2 (digital signal pattern generator), Synchronizer (timing and synchronization management), and DLScat (dynamic light scattering for particle size analysis). All instruments support software-defined data acquisition with comprehensive Python APIs and remote control capabilities, enabling scientists to process and control digital signals on-the-fly with minimal programming effort.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Time Tagger Series High-performance time-tagging instruments that capture digital signals and process them on-the-fly with picosecond resolution. Includes Time Tagger 20, Time Tagger Ultra, and Time Tagger X models targeting single-photon counting, time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC), correlation measurements, and histogramming for quantum optics, photonics, and life sciences researchers.
• Pulse Streamer 8/2 Digital signal pattern generator that defines complex digital signal patterns with precise timing control. Enables researchers to generate and stream digital signals for quantum optics, photonics, and pulsed experiment applications.
• Synchronizer Instrument for timing and synchronization management, enabling precise coordination of multiple instruments and remote synchronization across distributed systems.
• DLScat Dynamic Light Scattering instrument for particle size analysis. Performs multi-angle simultaneous dynamic light scattering (MASDLS) measurements for materials science, life sciences, and particle characterization applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-10 picosecond timing jitter achieved with Time Tagger Ultra
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NokiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Industry partner in QCyber project (€6m, 2026-2028) coordinated by University of Stuttgart. QCyber will develop and field-test secure quantum communication applications across a fibre-optic network connecting up to six nodes over 20 km distances. Swabian Instruments contributes timing solutions for multi-user quantum networks.
• ARENA2036minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Research campus hosting industry workshops as part of the QCyber project. Located in Stuttgart, Germany.
• SafrancoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Co-exhibiting partnership at WSTS 2026 workshop and Quantum Tech World 2026. Joint demonstration of White Rabbit remote synchronization using Safran White Rabbit ZEN TP-FL and Z16 devices with Swabian Instruments Time Tagger X.
• Fraunhofer IAFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Coordinated the SPINNING project developing a diamond spin-photon-based quantum computer demonstrator. Funded by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (13N16209, 2022-2025). Swabian Instruments provides timing and control solutions for the quantum processor development.
• ID QuantiquecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025New partnership announced at Laser World of Photonics and World of Quantum 2025. Joint showcase of photon number resolution (PNR) with IDQ's p-SNSPDs and Swabian Instruments Time Taggers. Enables telecom wavelength PNR capabilities.
• Orient Koji ScientificcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Chinese partner since 2021 for developing customized systems for fluorescence characterization. Located in China.
• IQST (Institute for Quantum Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020STRATUS project (2020) with University of Stuttgart and Ulm University. Research towards next-generation time-to-digital converters and ASIC design, collaborating with Prof. Jens Anders and Prof. Fedor Jelezko.
• QUDOT-TECH ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020European project (2020) led by Technical University of Denmark. Trains early researchers on quantum dot quantum technology and develops integrated photonic quantum processing platforms. Swabian Instruments develops high-resolution single photon processing systems.
• SINPHOSS ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Project (2020) with University of Münster. Develops THz-bandwidth optical measurement technology combining fast time-to-digital converters with superconducting single photon detectors. Aims for 300 femtosecond time resolution.
• Photon SpotcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Partnership since 2017 with Photon Spot, a leading developer of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs). Joint development and sales of high-performance photon counting solutions combining Photon Spot detectors with Swabian Instruments Time Taggers.
• Single QuantumcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Partnership since 2018 with Single Quantum, a leader in commercial superconducting detector technology. Integration of Single Quantum Eos SNSPD systems with Time Tagger Ultra (HighRes version) set records for timing jitter in correlated single photon counting.
• Q.Link.X ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018German Federal Ministry funded project (2018) led by University of Bonn. Developing Germany's first scalable quantum repeater link combining quantum dots, diamond NV centers, cold atoms/ions, and single photon frequency conversion. Swabian Instruments develops new high-bandwidth single photon time-tagging solutions.
• Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018European Quantum Flagship project (2018) led by Delft University. Develops European quantum internet and distributed computing architecture. Swabian Instruments develops synchronized distributed photon time-tagging architecture.
• PHOTEC (赋同量子)coreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with high-performance SNSPD manufacturer for providing low-jitter single photon counting and detection technology for quantum physics experiments.
• QunnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint exhibition at IEEE Quantum Week 2025 showcasing precise time-tagging for scalable quantum networking, sensing, and communications.
• ISS (Integrated Service Solutions)coreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration integrating Time Tagger 20 and Time Tagger Ultra into ISS advanced spectroscopy and microscopy systems. Enhances fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and related applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Micro Photon Devices (MPD): Italian developer of single-photon counting modules (SPADs and detector electronics) and TCSPC instrumentation serving quantum optics and biophotonics research; close product overlap with Swabian Time Tagger and photon-counting workflows.
• ID Quantique: Swiss specialist in quantum cryptography, quantum sensing, and single-photon detection (SNSPDs); competes in the same quantum photonics labs and is simultaneously a Swabian partner (joint PNR showcase at Laser World of Photonics 2025).
• PicoQuant: Germany-based specialist in time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) instruments and picosecond pulsed diode lasers; competes head-to-head with Swabian Instruments in single-photon timing, lifetime spectroscopy, and quantum optics lab instrumentation.
• Zurich Instruments: Swiss manufacturer of lock-in amplifiers, quantum analyzer systems, and arbitrary waveform generators used in quantum computing and photonics experiments; comparable timing/measurement instrumentation sold into the same research customer base.
• Becker & Hickl: Long-established specialist in TCSPC and time-resolved fluorescence instrumentation used in quantum optics, FLIM, and single-molecule spectroscopy — directly overlapping Swabian's Time Tagger and FLIM/correlation measurement use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Thorlabs: Large US-based photonics, optics, and quantum instrumentation supplier with a much broader catalog; also a Swabian partner (bundles Time Tagger in its Quantum Optics Educational Kit) and competes broadly in the same photonics and quantum research labs.
• Horiba Scientific: Diversified scientific instrumentation major selling particle characterization (DLS), fluorescence, and spectroscopy systems; relevant overlap with Swabian's DLScat and FLIM/flow cytometry life sciences applications.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Global Japanese incumbent in photon detectors, photomultipliers, streak cameras, and timing electronics; competes with Swabian's Time Tagger/X platforms in single-photon and time-resolved research instrumentation across quantum and life sciences.
• Coherent: Large US-based laser and photonics systems supplier active across quantum research, life sciences, and materials; an adjacent incumbent whose timing/laser subsystems intersect with Swabian's photonics research tooling.

Emerging players

• Excelitas Technologies: Mid-sized North American photonics and detector specialist offering SPAD/SNSPD modules and timing electronics to quantum and biophotonics customers; addresses an overlapping segment with engineering-grade but less integrated offerings than Swabian.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swabian-instruments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Swabian Instruments