French National Quantum Update: December 2024
Executive Summary
The French quantum ecosystem ends 2024 as it started – strong and determined. The nation’s researchers and entrepreneurs were actively promoting global collaboration, as highlighted by the French Consulate in San Francisco’s welcome of French quantum startups. This month, Alice & Bob unveiled a roadmap to deliver a universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030 using innovative cat qubit technology that requires fewer resources for high-fidelity qubits. Pasqal’s 100-qubit quantum computer, delivered to the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, also marked a significant milestone for European quantum-HPC integration under the EuroHPC JU project. Among other highlights in December, Quobly and STMicroelectronics announced a partnership to scale quantum processor manufacturing, while Quandela won the Airbus-BMW Quantum Computing Challenge for advancements in quantum-enhanced autonomy. The following is a non-exhaustive list featuring these updates and more notes from the French quantum ecosystem in the last month of 2024.
Policy
The French Consulate in San Francisco Welcomes French Quantum Startups
France is at the forefront of quantum technologies, with €1.8 billion invested under France 2030! The French Consulate in San Francisco welcomed 11 leading French quantum startups, promoting innovation and global collaboration.
Business
Alice & Bob has released a white paper and a five-year roadmap, outlining its path to delivering a universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030. According to the release, the company’s unique approach incorporates cat qubit technology for the development of high-fidelity logical qubits that use notably fewer resources compared to other methods.
In a recent news release, the Jülich Supercomputing Centre at Forschungszentrum Jülich celebrates a notable moment in European quantum progress with the delivery of a 100-qubit quantum computer from Pasqal. According to the release, this device, powered by Pasqal’s neutral atom technology, is part of the EuroHPC JU project HPCQS–High Performance Computer – Quantum Simulator–which is tasked with seamlessly integrating quantum systems with Europe’s high-performance computing infrastructure.
Quobly, a cutting-edge quantum computing startup, today announced a transformative collaboration with STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, to produce quantum processor units (QPUs) at scale. By leveraging STMicroelectronics’ advanced FD-SOI semiconductor process technologies, this collaboration is set to make large-scale quantum computing feasible and cost-effective, positioning both companies at the forefront of next-generation computing technologies.
Quandela, European leader in photonic quantum computing, announces that it has won the 2024 Quantum Computing Challenge sponsored by Airbus and BMW Group, with the support of Amazon Web Services, in the “Quantum-Enhanced Autonomy” category. This award was presented during the Q2B Silicon Valley event in Santa Clara, California (USA), in which Quandela is participating.
Unitary Fund France Awarded Grant To Lead Software Development for QLASS Project
In a recent blog post, Unitary Fund announced through its EU subsidiary it has been awarded a 3-year grant from the European Commission as one of the beneficiaries of the QLASS project. The QLASS project will develop next generation quantum glass-based photonic integrated circuits, and related software, to explore them as a platforms for quantum computing
Research
Louis de Broglie’s quantum leap that changed physics forever
In November 1924, French physicist Louis de Broglie presented his revolutionary theory that has become one of the cornerstones of quantum physics.Five years after presenting his revolutionary theory, in 1929, Louis de Broglie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking contribution, which remains fundamental to modern quantum mechanics and its numerous applications.
Physicists uncover new state of matter called quantum spin liquid
A team of researchers from Switzerland and France and theoretical physicists in Canada and the U.S., including Rice University, believe they have found evidence of a theorized quantum phenomenon called quantum spin liquid. Observed in a material called pyrochlore cerium stannate, this discovery could yield discoveries in fundamental physics and open doors to breakthroughs in other things like quantum computers.
Jean-François Roch: a double tribute to his work on quantum sensors in extreme conditions
Jean-François Roch, professor at ENS Paris-Saclay and member of the LuMIn laboratory, has been awarded the Jaffé Prize and the Berthelot Medal by the French Academy of Sciences. The Jaffé Prize is awarded annually on the recommendation of the Académie des Sciences to honour work or experiments that have had a significant impact on the progress and well-being of humanity.
Pasqal, a global leader in neutral atom quantum computing, has today announced an ambitious partnership with Riverlane, a frontrunner in quantum error correction (QEC) technology, to accelerate the race towards fault-tolerant quantum computing – a critical milestone, where errors are corrected in real time, for unleashing the full potential of quantum computing.
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Topics
Matt Swayne
With a several-decades long background in journalism and communications, Matt Swayne has worked as a science communicator for an R1 university for more than 12 years, specializing in translating high tech and deep tech for the general audience. He has served as a writer, editor and analyst at The Quantum Insider since its inception. In addition to his service as a science communicator, Matt also develops courses to improve the media and communications skills of scientists and has taught courses.
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MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE
Alice&Bob
Alice&Bob are working towards building an error corrected, fault tolerant quantum computer. They are working with superconducting circuits called ‘Cat Qubits’ which reduce the hardware required for error correction. With a cat Qubit, it is possible to stabilize two particular states in which quantum information is encoded autonomously.
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PASQAL
PASQAL’s quantum computers control neutral atoms with optical tweezers using lasers to manipulate quantum registers with up to a few hundred qubits. Location in Boston MA.
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Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC)
The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) is a research center located in Jülich, Germany, that provides leading-edge supercomputer resources, IT tools, methods, and know-how. The center has approximately 250 experts working on all aspects of supercomputing and simulation. The JSC is part of the John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC) and the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS). The JSC is also home to the Jülich Unified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing (JUNIQ), which is a uniform quantum computing Platform as a Service (QC-PaaS) that offers European users support and access to quantum computer emulators and quantum computing technologies of different types and levels of technological maturity. JUNIQ will integrate quantum computers in the form of quantum-classical hybrid computing systems into the modular HPC environment of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. They operate a quantum annealer with more than 5,000 qubits as part of JUNIQ, making them the first site in Europe to operate a latest-generation system by the Canadian manufacturer D-Wave. The JSC collaborates with renowned hardware and software vendors like IBM, Intel, NVIDIA, and ParTec to meet the challenges that arise from the development of exaflop.
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Quobly
Quobly, formerly Siquance, was founded in 2022 to develop and commercialize a universal large-scale quantum computer using proven semiconductor-industry processes. Quobly specializes in silicon-based quantum computing, focusing on scalable quantum processors. It develops silicon spin qubit QPUs using FD‑SOI semiconductor manufacturing to address challenges such as high‑complexity simulations in energy systems, drug discovery, and materials. It emphasizes industrial manufacturability and cost efficiency, working with RTOs and semiconductor partners (e.g., CEA‑Leti, CNRS, STMicroelectronics) to deliver fault-tolerant quantum systems capable of tackling real-world problems now intractable for classical supercomputers.
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Quandela
Quandela is a French startup that specializes in photonic quantum computing by providing modular, scalable, and energy-efficient photonic quantum computers, accessible both on the cloud and on premise. They provide prototyping services with their Perceval simulator alongside their general purpose chips optimized chips, and development of algorithms and protocols which provide photonic solutions for applications ranging from pharmaceutical and material design, to quantum machine learning, networking and optimization.
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Forschungszentrum Jülich
Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) is one of the largest interdisciplinary research institutions in Europe, focusing on energy, information, and bioeconomy. Located in Jülich, North Rhine-Westphalia, it employs approximately 7,250 staff members, including many international researchers. FZJ operates advanced scientific infrastructures, such as supercomputers and particle accelerators, and conducts research aimed at addressing major societal challenges, including climate change and sustainable resource management. As a member of the Helmholtz Association, it collaborates with over 200 partners globally, fostering innovation in various fields through interdisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge technologies.
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Airbus
Airbus, founded in 1970, is a global European aerospace corporation and one of the world's largest manufacturer of airliners. Headquartered in Leiden, Netherlands, with major operations in France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, the company specializes in designing, manufacturing, and supporting commercial aircraft, helicopters, defense systems, and space technology.
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BMW
BMW, which stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, is a prominent German multinational corporation known for manufacturing luxury vehicles and motorcycles. The company has its headquarters in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. BMW is renowned for producing high-quality automobiles and motorcycles, often associated with innovative engineering and a premium driving experience.
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