Google, SoftBank back quantum computing startup QuEra in $230 million deal

Startup investors including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and SoftBank Group Corp. are betting that quantum computing, often thought of as a fantastical science experiment, is getting closer to having sweeping real-world applications.

Google and SoftBank’s Vision Fund are new investors in QuEra Computing Inc., participating in a $230 million funding round for the Boston-based startup, which aims to make quantum computing more practical.