The government announced on Tuesday the launch of its national quantum computing platform, in which the Ministry of the Armed Forces is particularly interested.
It was with great support from ministers that the government announced, on Tuesday and by videoconference, the launch of a new national quantum computing platform, based on a hybrid model that mixes quantum accelerators and supercomputers. The Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Frédérique Vidal, and the Secretary of State in charge of Digital Transition and Electronic Communications, Cédric O, each recalled the importance of quantum technologies in the strategy of the State.
Bring together actors from diverse backgrounds to create a quantum community and develop new capacities
The launch of this platform, the outlines of which we are going to define, is part of the national strategy on quantum technologies launched by Emmanuel Macron a year ago. This decision made quantum a priority issue for the technological and strategic sovereignty of France, with a national plan endowed with a budget of 1.5 billion euros, supposed to lead to the arrival of solutions on the market of here 5 years.
With a state budget of 72 million euros reinforced by 100 million euros from communities, companies and European funding, this platform should constitute a laboratory for the benefit of the entire country. Researchers, universities and companies (start-ups or large groups): all will be able to benefit from this hybrid platform, which will interconnect classical systems and quantum computers, for what Frédérique Vidal considers to be a ” formidable European scientific and technological adventure “.
Two 100-qubit quantum simulators will be installed there, as ministers indicated this morning. Supported by INRIA, the platform will be installed at the Very Large Computing Center located at the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) with the objective of federating a quantum community, to appropriate new capacities, test their limits and in disseminate new methods.
Quantum technology, a priority for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces
The launch of this national quantum computing platform is of particular interest to one ministry: that of the Armed Forces, which sees several interests in it. The platform will help develop France’s quantum knowledge in three areas, the first being that of quantum computing. And the prospect of performing calculations that are inaccessible for conventional processors (up to a billion times faster) opens the way to multiple possibilities, viewed favorably by Florence Parly and her teams. ” Quantum computing is essential for the fights of tomorrow, explains the minister, essential for processing billions of data for intelligence purposes, for optimizing vehicle trajectories taking into account their individual dynamics, for designing an antenna, etc. “
Quantum sensors, another project of the platform, are also arousing the interest of the French armies, in that they provide unequaled levels of precision and make it possible to improve the performance of weapon detection and navigation, ” like a GPS which would no longer depend on satellite signals and which would locate itself by measuring the tiny variations of the Earth’s gravity », Adds Florence Parly.
Communications will also benefit from work carried out using quantum technology. It will help develop very high level equipment that will be used to store data over decades or to fight against the enemy quantum computer, which could well (without this having been demonstrated yet) break certain algorithms. of security.
If “government communication” this time is appropriate, it should be noted that France seems to enjoy a certain attractiveness around quantum. The country has its flagships (Quandela and its unique photon generator for the optical quantum computer; Pasqal who wants to manipulate the qubits by the hundreds). It is also attracting others, as evidenced by the recent installation in France of the Finnish IQM, a pan-European leader in quantum computers.
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