Alice & Bob, a specialist in fault-tolerant quantum computers (FTQC), has entered into a research partnership with the CEA.
Their shared objective is to foster closer dialogue between future quantum processors and high-performance computing (HPC) centers, and to identify concrete industrial use cases for this technology.
Two Obstacles to Overcome Before Quantum Computing Becomes Truly Useful
After unveiling Helium, its first quantum system, Alice & Bob is now tackling two distinct challenges in collaboration with the CEA. First, to make its quantum software compatible with the HPC infrastructures already in service in laboratories and by industry, and second, to build applications whose value to industry is demonstrable.
Concretely, the software stack developed by Alice & Bob will be connected to a hybrid computing chain based on Qaptiva, Bull’s quantum application platform. Its hallmark is that it does not depend on any particular hardware. A developer can write code once, then run it on different types of quantum processors, whether in-house or via the cloud.
Qaptiva also handles the distribution and orchestration of computations within these mixed environments. To realize this integration, Alice & Bob will rely on the CEA’s know-how in coupling quantum processors with HPC systems.
Chloé Poisbeau, Chief Operating Officer of Alice & Bob, frames the challenge: “Our priority is to make Alice & Bob’s unique FTQC technology usable in the environments where real calculations are performed […] we are removing barriers to adoption and laying the operational foundations for seamless, industrial-grade access to FTQC systems.”
A Joint Research Program on N-Body Problems
The partnership also envisions launching a dedicated research program on so-called “N-body” physical problems, with the aim of developing algorithms that can be deployed on the first fault-tolerant quantum machines expected around 2030.
This research field is presented by the two partners as a strategic testing ground to demonstrate the advantages of quantum computing, given its relevance to high-value industrial applications: the design of new materials, chemistry, and complex industrial simulations.
According to both organizations, a combined HPC and quantum approach could shorten the journey from scientific discovery to concrete engineering deployment.
Jacques-Charles Lafoucrière, program director at the CEA, underscores the dual academic and applied dimension of the project: “The physics of N-body systems sits at the crossroads of fundamental science and industrial challenges […] when FTQC systems reach the maturity required, the avenues for value creation will already be validated and ready to scale.”
The agreement thus links three ingredients: the company’s proprietary qubit technology, a technical gateway between quantum computing and high-performance computing, and a joint effort on use cases deemed to hold strong industrial potential. The idea is to cultivate, in advance, the economic opportunities of the technology rather than discovering them only once it matures.
