MicroAlign Receives €2.5M EIC Grant to Scale Fiber-Array Production

Insider Brief

• MicroAlign has secured a €2.5 million EIC Accelerator Grant with an equity component to scale and automate production of its ultra-high-precision fiber arrays for photonic quantum computing.
• The company’s active-alignment micro-manipulation technology enables nanometer-level fiber positioning designed for low-loss, high-volume manufacturing beyond traditional datacom and telecom standards.
• MicroAlign plans further miniaturization in 2026 and aims by 2029 to support a significant share of global photonic quantum computing systems while expanding into broader high-end photonics markets.

PRESS RELEASE — MicroAlign, a photonics technology company specializing in ultra-high-precision optical-fiber alignment, has been awarded the prestigious EIC Accelerator Grant of €2.5 million, along with an equity investment component, to accelerate the industrialization of its fiber-array manufacturing.

The EIC Accelerator Grant gives MicroAlign a decisive step towards industrial scale, accelerating automation of its production process to rapidly increase throughput while maintaining consistent, high-quality output. This scale-up is essential as the quantum computing industry moves from R&D into early commercial deployment and demand begins to rise sharply.

“We are seeing an increasingly urgent demand for high-accuracy fiber-connectivity solutions in quantum computing. Quantum computing architectures rely on low-loss optical paths for qubit preservation and control. Scaling our manufacturing processes is essential to meet customers’ evolving needs in the coming years,” said Simone Cardarelli, CEO of MicroAlign.

Photonic quantum computers rely on fiber arrays with extreme positioning accuracy, as nanometer-scale misalignments lead to photon loss and degraded system performance. Existing commercial solutions designed for datacom and telecom do not meet the alignment requirements necessary for photonic quantum computing.

MicroAlign addresses this challenge with its patented micro-manipulation technology, which actively aligns individual fibers using micro-actuators with nanometer-level precision. Unlike conventional approaches, MicroAlign’s solution is designed for scalable, high-volume manufacturing, enabling both performance and production readiness.

“MicroAlign’s products are the world’s first fiber arrays manufactured using active-alignment techniques. This disruptive technology sets a new benchmark for ultra-low-loss, multi-channel fiber-to-chip connectivity and represents a significant leap toward high-performance photonic packaging. In 2026, MicroAlign will further miniaturize its technology platform to meet rising customer demand for high-density and high-accuracy optical interconnects. The company will introduce a new generation of ultra-high-accuracy fiber arrays featuring channel pitches down to 127 µm, enabling more compact, scalable, and efficient photonic systems,” stated Marco Fattori, CTO of MicroAlign.

Fiber arrays are a critical component of photonic quantum computers, with a single large-scale system expected to require thousands of fiber arrays. As adoption accelerates, reliable and scalable supply becomes a key requirement for quantum hardware manufacturers.

“This grant enables us to scale in line with our customers’ timelines. We are grateful to our investors and shareholders PhotonDelta, DeepTechXL, Innovation Industries, Capital 819, and TU Eindhoven, as well as our financing partners NWO, BSF, and Rabobank, whose continued support has been instrumental in reaching this stage and preparing us for the next phase of industrializing our production to meet our customers’ scaling needs,” said Cees Luijendijk, CFO of MicroAlign.

By 2029, MicroAlign aims to support a significant share of photonic quantum-computing systems worldwide with its ultra-high-accuracy fiber arrays, contributing to advancements in artificial intelligence, materials science, and drug discovery. Beyond quantum computing, the company’s technology also enables scalable, precision fiber-to-chip integration for a broad range of advanced photonic applications.

“It is fascinating to see how more applications in non-quantum high-end domains are now demanding very low-loss optical-fiber connectivity, including MEMS switches, wavelength-selective switches, and optical amplifiers — a <0.5 dB optical-coupling target is no longer a niche request,” added Simone Cardarelli, CEO of MicroAlign.

Meet MicroAlign at OFC 2026

MicroAlign will exhibit at the OFC Exhibition at Booth 859, Netherlands Pavilion, where visitors can see physical samples and live demonstrations of its fiber-array technology.

Dates: March 17–18, 2026
Location: OFC Exhibition, Netherlands Pavilion, Booth 859