The Signal
ZuriQ and Rhonexum Target Trapped-Ion Control Wiring
ZuriQ and Rhonexum announced a multi-year commercial framework agreement covering cryogenic integrated-circuit technologies for ZuriQ to evaluate. An initial quantity of Rhonexum’s inaugural product is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2
Quantum.world Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
A scaling ambition meets a wiring constraint
ZuriQ is developing reconfigurable, two-dimensional trapped-ion arrays; Rhonexum will supply cryogenic integrated-circuit technologies and customization services for ZuriQ to evaluate against its quantum-computing roadmap. The companies announced a multi-year commercial framework agreement on October 22. They identify a practical challenge in scaling trapped-ion systems: control signals must travel from room-temperature sources into a cryogenic environment, creating overhead that they say needs to be reduced.
The companies say combining ZuriQ’s architecture with Rhonexum’s electronics could support denser qubit arrays while retaining flexible reconfiguration. The announcement establishes a framework for future orders, product deployments and technical collaboration, but does not report a completed integration or measurements showing how the electronics affect control quality or system scale.
What the framework covers
Under the agreement, Rhonexum will supply its cryogenic integrated-circuit technologies and customization services. ZuriQ will assess the potential of those solutions for its trapped-ion quantum-computing roadmap. The companies describe the arrangement as extending beyond a customer-supplier relationship to include long-term technical cooperation. They do not disclose a contract value, product specifications or order quantity.
The announcement says ZuriQ will have privileged access to selected Rhonexum technologies and future product developments. It also says feedback from ZuriQ will help Rhonexum shape products for trapped-ion quantum-computing applications. The framework sets out the companies’ intended commercial and technical relationship; it does not provide evaluation criteria or a timetable for results.
“The partnership combines highly complementary capabilities and gives us access to specialized cryogenic electronics technologies that support our future deployment roadmap.”
Pavel Hrmo, CEO of ZuriQ
First delivery scheduled for the end of 2026
The announcement says an initial quantity of Rhonexum’s inaugural product is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026. It does not give a more precise delivery date or say that the circuits have already been tested in a ZuriQ processor. ZuriQ’s evaluation is intended to determine whether the supplied technology can advance its roadmap.
ZuriQ says its architecture combines electric and magnetic fields to create natively two-dimensional, reconfigurable qubit arrays. The company is building processors designed to scale to thousands of qubits. Those ambitions provide the context for the framework agreement, but the announcement reports no measured result showing that Rhonexum’s circuits have reduced control wiring or enabled a larger array.
Two Swiss quantum companies
ZuriQ is based in Zurich and spun out of Professor Jonathan Home’s laboratory at ETH Zurich in 2024. The announcement identifies Pavel Hrmo, Tobias Sägesser and Shreyans Jain as its founders. Rhonexum, founded in Lausanne in 2025 by Vicente Carbon and Hung-Chi Han, is a spin-out from EPFL’s AQUA Lab. It develops integrated circuits designed to operate at cryogenic temperatures inside quantum-computing systems.
The announcement places the partnership within a broader pattern of collaboration among Swiss quantum startups, citing the companies’ roots in the ETH Zurich and EPFL innovation ecosystems. It also describes the agreement as a commercial initiative intended to support Swiss and European quantum capabilities. The concrete near-term milestone disclosed is the planned initial product delivery by the end of 2026, followed by ZuriQ’s evaluation; no deployment or performance outcome is reported.