Insider Brief
- Bull and Alice & Bob have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand their collaboration across research, software, product development, and commercial deployment of quantum technologies.
- The partnership will focus on integrating Alice & Bob’s cat-qubit systems into high-performance computing environments and enhancing Bull’s Qaptiva software platform for quantum-HPC workflows.
- Bull has been selected as the software integrator for Alice & Bob’s first commercial quantum computer, which is scheduled to be deployed at CEA’s TGCC supercomputing center in 2027.
PRESS RELEASE — Bull, a leader in advanced computing and AI, and Alice & Bob, a leader in fault-tolerant quantum computing specialising in cat qubits, today announce the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding to extend their joint collaboration across research, product innovation and commercialisation. Together, Bull and Alice & Bob now aim to deepen this collaboration to accelerate the development and adoption of quantum technologies in Europe and beyond.
From Experimentation to Broader Industrial Collaboration
Under this agreement, the two companies will expand their cooperation in four key areas:
- Research & development: Advancing quantum applications, particularly in material physics, and strengthening the integration of large-scale quantum (LSQ) systems (1) within high-performance computing environments
- Product innovation: Exploring new offerings, including the containerisation and the assembly of quantum systems
- Software development: Extending the capability of Bull’s software tools, including Qaptiva HPC and Qaptiva Access, to better support emulation of cat qubits as well as enable execution on Alice & Bob’s cat qubit chips in a HPC environment
- Commercial development: Jointly addressing new business opportunities worldwide, with a focus on sovereignty-driven projects. In this context, Alice & Bob has selected Bull as the software integrator of their first ever sold quantum system at the CEA’s TGCC high-performance computing centre, expected to enter production in 2027.
Combining Complementary Strengths
These efforts reflect a shared ambition to move beyond early-stage experimentation, bridging the gap between quantum hardware innovation and its practical, scalable use in real-world environments as the industry enters its next phase.
Alice & Bob and Bull bring highly complementary strengths to this ambition. Alice & Bob is focused on building a universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer, with its cat qubit technology designed to significantly reduce the hardware requirements for large-scale systems.
This approach is combined with Bull’s long-standing expertise in high-performance computing, system integration and global support, as well as its industrial capabilities, including its manufacturing site in Angers and strong international footprint. Together, they are well positioned to enable the deployment and operation of hybrid HPC and quantum infrastructures at scale.
Strengthening a Sovereign European Quantum Ecosystem
This collaboration is fully aligned with Bull’s ambition to act as a federator of the European quantum ecosystem and to contribute to the emergence of a sovereign quantum sector.
By working with a leading European QPU developer and leveraging its hardware agnostic platform Qaptiva—designed to work across multiple quantum technologies—Bull reinforces its positioning in both quantum emulation and large-scale HPC–quantum hybridization.
The partnership will initially focus on Europe, including France, the UK and Germany, where strong national and regional quantum initiatives are already underway.
“This next phase perfectly aligns with Bull’s quantum strategy, building on our quantum application development and emulation platform, enabling hybrid HPC and quantum experimentation. By expanding their collaboration, Bull and Alice & Bob aim to accelerate progress towards fault-tolerant quantum computing and ensure that future quantum capabilities can be integrated seamlessly into existing HPC infrastructures. It reflects a clear objective: to turn emerging quantum technologies into practical tools for industry, research and public-sector applications—while strengthening Europe’s technological autonomy.” said Bruno Lecointe, head of HPC, AI and Quantum Computing at Bull.
“By partnering with Bull’s quantum application development and emulation platform, we’ll accelerate the development and adoption of quantum technologies in Europe and beyond. Together, we will strengthen the integration of error-corrected quantum computing within high-performance computing environments and help drive broader QPU adoption. This collaboration is already being put into practice, with Bull selected as the software integrator for Alice & Bob’s first commercial quantum system, which will be deployed at CEA’s TGCC high-performance computing centre and be accessible to researchers in 2027.” said Chloé Poisbeau, COO at Alice & Bob.
LSQ stands for “Large Scale Quantum”. It refers to future, fault-tolerant quantum computers designed to perform calculations and simulations far more complex than today’s systems, surpassing classical supercomputers. These machines are expected to require thousands of logical qubits.
