By Mackenzie Tatananni

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan became the latest technocrat to embrace quantum computing on Thursday as privately held PsiQuantum announced he would be joining the company's board.

It's a big step for someone who has previously cited quantum computing as a strategic priority. Back in February, Tan described quantum as "another big area coming up is around the corner" in relation to how large amounts of data are processed.

Even before then, the executive had ties to PsiQuantum and other players in the industry. Tan said in a news release Thursday that he had followed PsiQuantum for years as an investor. PsiQuantum aspires to build "the world's first useful quantum computer" and aims to do so through photonics, an approach that uses light particles carry and process information.

Tan chairs the firm A&E Investment, which participated in PsiQuantum's Series C funding round in 2019. That October, A&E was named as a participant in a $55 million funding round for IonQ. The company went public two years later and has since become one of the most-watched players in quantum.

Tan is one of several CEOs to endorse the technology publicly. Nvidia boss Jensen Huang made headlines last year when he declared that "very useful quantum computers" were 15 to 30 years away -- a statement he walked back once Nvidia's aspirations in the space came to light.

In recent months, Huang has promoted a hybrid model integrating classical and quantum machines as "the future of quantum computing." Nvidia's role in the ecosystem is becoming increasingly clear: The company established a quantum research center in Boston last year, and just this month released a family of artificial-intelligence models to help developers build quantum processors.

It isn't yet clear what Tan's appointment to the board means for Intel. However, it's entirely possible that Intel will follow in Nvidia's footsteps will become the latest chip maker to unveil its own aspirations in the industry, following in Nvidia's footsteps.

For now, investors can take the public support from tech leaders as a fresh vote of confidence. As quantum hype builds, even the world's largest tech companies are starting to buy in.

Write to Mackenzie Tatananni at mackenzie.tatananni@barrons.com

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April 30, 2026 14:29 ET (18:29 GMT)

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