A Dutch startup spun out of TU Delft and QuTech has raised €1.3 million in pre-seed funding to push cryo-CMOS chips toward commercial use. FrostByte wants to put control electronics inside the cryostats that cool quantum processors, replacing the current mess of room-temperature hardware and cables that make larger quantum computing systems awkward, noisy, and expensive.
The wiring problem is one of quantum computing’s least glamorous bottlenecks. Today, many systems rely on hundreds of coaxial cables running between cold qubits and electronics sitting nearby at room temperature, which adds heat, clutter, and a scaling headache that gets worse as manufacturers chase larger machines.
What FrostByte is building first
The company’s first product will be a family of cryogenic RF switches. These parts are designed to use very little power and keep working at temperatures measured in millikelvins, which is exactly the sort of unglamorous engineering quantum hardware needs if it wants to move beyond lab curiosities.
That matters because the race is no longer just about qubits. Competitors across the sector are also trying to reduce control overhead, whether through better packaging, integrated cryogenic electronics, or more efficient interconnects. Whoever solves the wiring problem cleanly gets a much easier path to systems with thousands of qubits.
Why cryo-CMOS is getting attention
Cryo-CMOS aims to move more of the control stack next to the processor itself, instead of forcing signals to travel back and forth between the warm and cold parts of the machine. That cuts cable count, reduces signal loss, and should make future systems less fragile – a practical benefit that often gets lost in the hype around quantum breakthroughs.
FrostByte says the new capital will help turn research into products for the global quantum industry. Investors are clearly betting that the Netherlands can keep punching above its weight here, thanks to the long-running ecosystem around Delft and QuTech, where a lot of Europe’s quantum talent already clusters.
The commercial test ahead
The real question is whether FrostByte can make cryogenic electronics reliable enough for industrial use without turning the cryostat into another nightmare of integration work. If it can, the company will be selling a pick-and-shovel tool for the quantum computing race – and those are often the businesses that survive the hype cycle.