Two Israeli companies are trying to transform quantum computing from a fragile system into a reliable, practical tool and produce results that can be trusted

It is commonly assumed that the main challenge in quantum computing is building computers with greater processing power than conventional computers. In practice, there are additional challenges. Even though a powerful quantum computer exists, it is extremely difficult to make it work effectively. The gap between theoretical computing capability and actual usability stems not only from hardware limitations but also from an early-stage software layer that is supposed to transform a complex and fragile physical system into a usable tool.

Two Israeli companies, Classiq and Qedma, are addressing this challenge from two different directions. Classiq develops abstraction layers that shields developers from the physical complexity of hardware. At the same time, Qedma focuses on directly addressing that complexity, particularly the built-in errors of quantum systems, to produce more reliable results. The approaches differ, but both share the same goal: implementing a software-based solution to transform the computational capability of a quantum technology processor into a practical work tool, regardless of the technology used in its development.

Moving Away from Physics

Classiq focused on raising the level of abstraction of quantum development – not as a matter of convenience, but as a necessity. “When founding the company, we realized the hardware was advancing rapidly, but that there was simply no software”, says Nir Minerbi, CEO and co-founder of Classiq. “All the software stacks we take for granted – operating systems, compilers (programs that translate code into instructions that the computer performs), and programming languages simply don’t exist in quantum computing”.

In that sense, Classiq’s starting point is not performance improvement, but rather building a layer that does not yet exist. “We are developing the operating system and development environment for quantum computers”, Minerbi explains. “A platform that enables people to develop applications without being experts in quantum physics”.

Workflow stages in the Classiq platform, from problem modeling to quantum circuit analysis

“We founded the company because we understood that hardware was progressing quickly and the field was highly competitive, but that there was no software that could actually program these computers”, he adds. “Hopefully, one day, we’ll become the ‘Microsoft’ of quantum computing”, he says with a smile.

The decision to focus on software was no coincidence. In a world of competing hardware approaches – trapped ions, atoms, and photons – investing in a single platform is a gamble. Software, by contrast, allows companies to stay ahead of the race. “It’s essentially a bet on the entire field, not on one specific technology”, says Minerbi.

To understand the significance of this, it helps to step back for a moment. In classical computing, the transition from machine language to programming languages and operating systems was what enabled the real breakthrough. In quantum computing, the field is still at a much earlier stage. “We’re operating at an abstraction level comparable to punch cards in the 1970s”, Minerbi explains, “and the goal is to reach a point where you can simply describe the problem and let automation handle the rest”.

In practice, this means a fundamental shift in the development process. Instead of building a quantum circuit step by step, the developer defines the problem at a higher level, and the machine fills the gap. Operating behind the scenes is a quantum........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)