At the end of last week, the French government took stock of its national strategy for quantum computing. The opportunity for the Ministry of the Armed Forces to announce the launch of the Proqcima program.
Under the supervision of the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), this should lead to the creation in 2032 of at least two prototypes of universal quantum computers. Five startups are in the running, including Pasqal from Nobel physics winner Alain Aspect.
Computers with more than 100 qubits today
Only the most successful of these startups will complete Proqcima. And without a doubt, Pasqal intends to be part of this restricted circle. This is what its latest technology roadmap suggests. The startup assures us: quantum computing is real and relevant today.
To support this claim, Pasqal claims to provide quantum computers with more than 100 qubits to certain users. But the company intends to take a new step, and this in the fairly short term.
On March 12, it declared its ambition to reach 10,000 qubits by 2026. To achieve this, it plans to take advantage of a scalable logical qubit architecture. Pasqual is also banking on recent research advances.
The quantum era is approaching
This work outlines “promising avenues for quantum error correction for neutral atoms”. These scientific developments would now make it possible to consider that “the era of fault-tolerant quantum computing is approaching.”
“Neutral atoms can be used as robust and versatile qubits, thanks to recent developments in optical tweezer technology,” explains Loïc Henriet, co-CEO of Pasqal, in an interview with EE Times.
Because when it comes to quantum computing, quantum computer builders do not move forward alone. On the contrary, they strive to increase partnerships with research and industrial centers.
Launch of a quantum community
In a press release, Pascal indicates that he collaborates “closely” with more than 50 clients and partners from the Fortune 500 ranking. These links have enabled him to make advances, such as algorithms accelerated by quantum materials, automatic learning of graphs, optimization and differential equations.
The French startup also specifies that these “algorithms go beyond the design phase and move on to the development stage”. It therefore expects “possible use in a production environment from 2025.”
To progress further, Pasqal wants to increase partnerships. To this end, it is launching its Quantum Community, which aims “to create a global network of innovators, researchers and business leaders”. The community also aims to act as a “springboard” for future applications of quantum computing in different sectors.