Pascal, a French startup specializing in quantum computing with neutral atoms, announced on June 19 the delivery of a quantum computer to the Very Large Computing Center (TGCC) in Central Committee for Nuclear Energy (CEA). This infrastructure, based in Bruyère-le-Châtel (Ile-de-France), is dedicated to high-performance computing.
Work on mixed use cases
The Pascal quantum computer was acquired in 2022 by GENCI, a state-owned public research institution, the CEA, and CNRSand the universities of France and Inria, which are responsible for providing computing resources. It will be connected to the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, which was inaugurated at the end of 2017 and has a computing power of 22 petaflops. Until now, researchers could test their algorithms using different simulators, such as Eviden's Qaptiva, Pasqal's Pulser, and Quandela's Perceval.
This process aims to enable French and European researchers to work on hybrid use cases, mixing quantum computing and classical supercomputing, and try out their research on “real” hardware. For Philippe Lavocaat, Chairman and CEO of Genci, that is “A big step toward powering a cold-atom quantum machine.”. Pascal cites practical applications in banking, logistics, transportation, and energy grid management.
Another processor was installed in Germany this year
As part of the Hybrid High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator (HPCQS) project, jointly funded by the European HPC company EuroHPC Ju and Genci, another quantum processor will be installed this year in Germany, at the Julers Research Center. . It will be coupled with the Jureca supercomputer, one of the most powerful computers in the world.
In the process, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an IT services company and a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate of the same name, announced its partnership with Pasqal, in order to provide… “Quantum computing solutions for businesses around the world”. This partnership also includes the birth of a quantum laboratory in Paris, within the TCS Innovation Centre.
This partnership comes a month after the signing of an agreement between Pascal and the general oil company Saudi Aramco, to install a quantum machine with a capacity of 200 qubits by next year. Most recently, the startup partnered with IBM to develop hybrid architectures, especially in materials science and chemistry.
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