Paris-based quantum computing company Alice & Bob and France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) today announced a partnership aimed at developing software that will allow quantum computers to operate alongside conventional supercomputers. Although the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the significance of this collaboration is great, as it could determine the future of quantum computing in Europe.
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The project focuses on the Qaptiva, created by the French state-owned company Bull. Alice & Bob will connect its software to Qaptiva, allowing programmers to write a program once and use it on different quantum machines. This setup will allow tasks to be divided between quantum and classical hardware, creating a hybrid environment that can take advantage of the advantages of both technologies.
Chloé Poisbeau, CEO of Alice & Bob, said the company's priority is to make Alice & Bob's unique FTQC (Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing) technology usable in environments where real computational work is performed. FTQC technology is critical to the development of quantum computers that can reliably perform calculations without the errors that often plague quantum systems.
The goal of the partnership is not limited to technical integration. Leaders from both companies told Reuters that they want Qaptiva to compete with Nvidia's CUDA-Q, which is widely used to connect quantum processors to GPU-based supercomputers. This competition is important, as Nvidia is already established as a leader in high-performance computing (HPC), and the success of Qaptiva could strengthen its European presence in the market.
The research will begin with many-body physics, which studies how large numbers of interacting particles behave and is important for materials science and chemistry. Many-body physics is at the crossroads of fundamental science and industrial importance, said Jacques-Charles Lafoucriere, Program Director at CEA. Understanding these systems can lead to new discoveries in areas such as the development of new materials and the improvement of chemical processes.
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The collaborators aim to create algorithms for early fault-tolerant quantum computers, which they expect to see around 2030. These algorithms will be critical to harnessing the full potential of quantum computers, enabling them to solve problems that are impossible to solve with conventional computers.
According to Reuters, the Alice & Bob quantum computer will be installed at the CEA facilities in 2027. The service already hosts quantum computers from two other French companies, Quandela and Pasqal, thus strengthening the quantum computing ecosystem in France.
Alice & Bob builds its processors using so-called cat qubits, which are designed to deal with one of the two main types of error that affect quantum bits and, as a result, require fewer physical qubits for error correction. The company says this method can reduce hardware requirements by up to 200 times, which could significantly reduce the cost and complexity of quantum systems.
Alice & Bob’s Helium system, unveiled in June, is a major step in this direction. The company has received backing from Nvidia’s NVentures and is one of the companies participating in France’s state-backed quantum program. This support underscores the strategic importance of quantum technology for the country’s future.
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The software aspect is now added to the hardware work, and it is a French contribution: the platform, the laboratory and the machine will all be from France. This integrated approach can give Europe a competitive advantage in the global quantum computing market, strengthening the region's innovation and technological autonomy.
