French National Quantum Update: May 2023
Executive Summary: May 2023
For quantum computing to be part of the computational approach to real-world problems, it has to be believed. It will require benchmarking. This month, France demonstrated its leadership and commitment to making quantum benchmarking real and reliable. The nation also continues to build international collaborations and partnerships in the field of deep technology, including quantum technology. Quantonation, a pioneer in seed funding for the quantum ecosystem, announced that they are leading VeriQloud’s funding round. It also shows France’s leadership in quantum startup funding.
Policy
Canada, France to Collaborate on AI, Quantum Sciences as Part of New Joint Committee on Innovation
The governments of Canada and France have formed a joint committee intended to expand cooperation between the two countries in science and technology research. In its first meeting held this week, the group decided on quantum science and artificial intelligence (AI) as its first priority research area. We also see French businesses continuing to release innovative quantum-based products to make quantum more useful for everyday computing challenges.
Capital
Quantonation Leads VeriQloud’s €1.9 Million Funding Round
VeriQloud announced the successful completion of its latest funding round. The company has raised €1.9 million in an investment round led by Quantonation, a leading investment fund in quantum technology.
Business
Vividen Launches Qaptiva, a Quantum Application Development Platform
Eviden, Atos’ business leader in digital, cloud, big data and security, launched Qaptiva, its new Quantum Computing offering to enable the development and deployment of real-world applications, using the best in quantum computing technology.
France Invests in Quantum Ecosystems: Q2B 2023 Paris
Delivering the keynote, executive director at French public sector investment bank Bpifrance Pascal Lagarde emphasized why quantum investing is big news.
“We are at the forefront of developing deep technology entrepreneurship, which has a financing continuum from very early stage technology transfer to mature companies, and quantum technology for us is deep technology technology,” he said. “The ecosystem, creativity and innovation in quantum technology in France is very strong compared to other European countries. For example, the first fund to exclusively target quantum technology was launched in France in 2018.”
Quantum Computing has the potential to be revolutionary in many areas of heavy computing: from drug discovery to financial applications. The reason? Higher accuracy and faster computation time. However, one question is often overlooked: how much will it cost? We’ve seen that supercomputers and data centers can consume a lot of energy. Will quantum computers be the next energy-hungry technology, or a gateway to the green computing era?
Research
BACQ: Delivers a Series of Application-Oriented Benchmarks To Evaluate Quantum Computing Performance
With the support of the MetriQs-France national program on measurement, standards and evaluation of quantum technologies, part of the French national quantum strategy, the BACQ project is dedicated to application-oriented benchmarks for quantum computing. The consortium that brings together Thales, Eviden, Atos business, CEA, CNRS, Teratec and LNE aims to establish performance evaluation reference criteria, meaningful to industry users.
Proof, ColibrITD, and ONERA Team Up to Build the First Hybrid Quantum Combustion Platform
Eviden, an Atos business, ColibrITD and ONERA today announced the launch of VulQain, a research project, funded by the French Defense Innovation Agency, to build the first end-to-end hybrid platform to address the phenomenon of combustion and its challenges, including their complexity and non-linearity. . By integrating the Eviden quantum computer emulator and ColibrITD quantum software on the ONERA classic simulation platform, the project team aims to reduce carbon emissions, lower the energy footprint of high-performance computing centers (HPCs) and help develop safer engines and turbines of the future.
Eviden Simplifies Supercomputer Federation with New JARVICE XE Software Module
Eviden, Atos’ business leader in advanced computing, today announced a new software module, the Federation Pack, to accelerate organizations’ ability to connect and unify HPC and Supercomputer clusters around the world.
Quantum Fluid of Light Comes into Sharper View
Experiments probing quasi-particles in semiconductor microcavities offer unprecedented insights into the fluid dynamics of quantum light.
Nobel Prize Winner in Physics Alain Aspect Talks Quantum Computing
Alain Aspect is a French physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2022 for his groundbreaking work in the field of quantum mechanics, in particular for his pioneering research into the properties of entangled particles. Aspect’s investigation sheds light on the strangest features of quantum physics. Bell’s 1982 inequality experiment with entangled photons helped resolve the 1935 Einstein–Bohr controversy. He and a former Ph.D. student, French physicist Philippe Grangier, then demonstrated wave-particle duality for a single photon. Aspect discussed his career and insights into quantum computing in an interview with EE Times.
Education and Events
Overview of Upcoming Application-Oriented Benchmarks for Quantum Computing in France and Abroad
A one-day seminar to review the approach endorsed by the French National Quantum Strategy to such a reliable and objective benchmarking tool will be presented and similar international initiatives will be highlighted.
Teratec Forum 2023: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in HPC, AI and Quantum Computing
The 2023 Teratec Forum was held on 31 May and 1 June at Parc Floral de Paris. This main event brings together leading experts and organizations in the fields of simulation, HPC/HPDA, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing among major French and European manufacturers.
