Executive Summary
Government. Entrepreneurship. Science.
To build a thriving global ecosystem in quantum technologies, you need those three factors. This month, France demonstrated its strength and agility in all of these categories. The country’s policymakers, in particular, shined during the Choose France Summit, which was held this month. The officials showed their interest in quantum tech and their focus on making France a global quantum leader.
Coupling France’s growing mastery of quantum with the nation’s own powerful industrial and entrepreneurial base has led to advances in the pursuit of quantum use cases, as the Pasqal-Thales partnership in space has shown. In another bit of news during what would be a very productive May for Pasqal, Aramco announced that the first quantum computer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be a Pasqal model.
We also see the country’s scientific entrepreneurs, such as the Alice & Bob team, demonstrate the commercial possibilities of partnering go-to-market business savvy with matchless scientific rigor.
Ultimately, May showed that all three of those pistons in the ecosystem were firing in harmony.
Policy
IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), a global leader in building quantum computers, announces plans to build an industrial production unit for quantum computers and chips during the Choose France summit, an annual event attended by business leaders from around the world, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, and designed to promote France’s attractiveness internationally.
Macron announces new investments in tech
The French president spoke at the Elysée Palace to tech leaders and politicians, saying that this was a moment of “strategic awakening”. “The city of lights will become the city of artificial intelligence” Emmanuel Macron told a a gathering of the tech elite, politicians and EU commissioners at the Elysée Palace on Tuesday. The French president announced on Tuesday a new investment in the artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum ecosystem as well as training programmes to build tech talent.
Business
Alice & Bob’s First Cat Qubit Quantum Chip Available On Google Cloud Marketplace
Alice & Bob, a global leader in the race for fault-tolerant quantum computing, announced the immediate availability on Google Cloud Marketplace of a new single cat-qubit chip in the ”Boson” series. The company’s signature technology, the cat qubit, is regarded as one of the most promising platforms for the realization of fault-tolerant quantum computers. The launch of Boson 4 marks the first time a cat qubit has become available to the public.
Aramco Partners With Pasqal To Deploy First Quantum Computer In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, has signed an agreement with Pasqal, a global leader in neutral atom quantum computing, to install the first quantum computer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The agreement will see Pasqal install, maintain, and operate a 200-qubit quantum computer.
Pasqal And Thales Successfully Solve Satellite Planning Challenges With Neutral-Atom Quantum Computing
Pasqal, a global leader in neutral atom quantum computing, in partnership with Thales, today announced a major advancement within the AQUAPS project. This innovative project aimed to explore neutral atom architectures to solve optimization problems, with a particular focus on satellite planning.
Quobly Names its Scientific Advisory Board
Quobly, a prominent French quantum startup, has unveiled its Scientific Advisory Board marking a significant step forward in de-risking the industrialization of its silicon spin qubit-based quantum processor.
SEALSQ Corp., a leader in semiconductor, PKI, and Post-Quantum technology development, is pleased to announce the rebranding of its semiconductor manufacturing business from WISeKey Semiconductors S.A.S to SEALSQ France S.A.S (“SEALSQ France”). This strategic change is aimed at accelerating the development of state-of-the-art post-quantum semiconductor technologies in Meyreuil, located in the Aix-en-Provence, a prominent hub for semiconductor innovation in the South of France.
Choose France summit attracts a promised €15B in foreign investment
France is in line for €15 billion in industry investments in AI, pharmaceuticals and quantum, as the country’s seventh Choose France summit draws in commitments from around the world. Companies from outside France have pledged to invest €15 billion in 56 projects that are expected to create 10,000 jobs. Among the announcements, €4 billion will be invested in artificial intelligence by Microsoft and €500 million in research and development by Pfizer. This is a big win for France as it positions itself as an attractive investment hub for global companies.
OVHcloud Adds Qiskit To Market Leading Quantum Notebooks Portfolio
OVHcloud, the European Cloud leader, announced at France Quantum 2024 updates to its Quantum Notebooks portfolio. To further support the rapid growth and development of quantum computing, OVHcloud adds a new Quantum Notebook supporting the IBM-developed open-source QiskitTM SDK. This new addition completes OVHcloud already impressive set of Quantum Notebooks available in the Cloud, including Alice & Bob, C12, Eviden, Pasqal and Quandela. OVHcloud is one of IBM’s recommended notebook environment solution for users of the IBM Quantum Lab, which was sunset on 15 May, 2024.
Research
Alice & Bob’s Cat Qubit Work Published in Nature
Alice & Bob, a global leader in the race for fault-tolerant quantum computing, today announces the publication of its foundational research in Nature, showcasing significant advancements in cat qubit technology. This study, Quantum control of a cat-qubit with bit-flip times exceeding ten seconds, realized in collaboration with the QUANTIC Team (Mines Paris – PSL, Ecole Normale Supérieure and INRIA), demonstrates an unprecedented improvement in the stability of superconducting qubits, marking a critical milestone towards useful fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Cybersecurity Leaders Unite To Develop Large-Scale Quantum Security Solutions
As the cybersecurity landscape evolves with the looming threat of quantum computing, industry leaders are joining forces to develop robust solutions. The Hyperform consortium unites several leading players in cybersecurity and post-quantum: IDEMIA Secure Transactions, project coordinator and a leading provider of secure solutions, CryptoNext, a provider of post quantum cryptography remediation solutions, Atempo. a provider of data protection solutions, Prim’X, a software publisher of encryption solutions, Synacktiv, an offensive security company and licensed testing laboratory (CESTI), CEA Leti, a global leader in miniaturization technologies enabling smart, energy-efficient and secure solutions for industry, INRIA, the French national institute for digital science and technology, with world-class researchers in cryptography and secure implementation, and the French cybersecurity agency (ANSSI), who will supervise the security and performance assessment of the solution.
Education and Events
iXcampus Construction Start With Plans to Create a Deeptech Campus
The first foundation stone was laid for iXcampus in presence of Valérie Pécresse, Alexandra Dublanche, Julien Lalanne, Clara Doly, Herve Arditty and Pierre Bédier. iXcampus will be a 40,000 square meters campus dedicated to deeptech, gathering 2,000 students, researchers and startups.
BIG Quantum Hackathon Held in Paris
The BIG Quantum Hackathon gathers global Quantum Computing leaders to exchange knowledge and skills. The 2024 Sports edition focuses on quantum computing’s intersection with sports, aiming to enhance athletic performance, design safer equipment, inspire fashion, improve operations, and expedite recovery.
