Pasqal, a global leader in neutral atom quantum computing, has delivered its first 100+ qubit quantum processing unit (QPU) to GENCI and CEA, marking a significant milestone in hybrid computing in Europe. The QPU will be integrated with GENCI’s supercomputer, Joliot-Curie, at the CEA computing center, TGCC. This collaboration aims to revolutionize areas like pharmaceuticals and energy by enhancing complex data processing and simulation tasks. Another QPU will be installed in Germany at Forschungszentrum Jülich and coupled with the JURECA supercomputer, forming a pan-European hybrid computing infrastructure.
Quantum Computing Milestone: Pasqal Delivers Advanced Quantum Processing Unit to GENCI and CEA
Pasqal, a company specializing in neutral atom quantum computing, has delivered a 100+ qubit quantum processing unit (QPU) to GENCI (Grand Équipement National de Calcul Intensif) at the CEA computing centre, TGCC. This marks the first time Pasqal has delivered a QPU to a third party and is a significant step in the High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator hybrid (HPCQS) project. The project, co-funded by the European HPC Joint Undertaking, GENCI, and the France Hybrid HPC Quantum Initiative (HQI), aims to integrate quantum technologies into high-performance computing.
Pasqal’s QPU will be integrated with GENCI’s supercomputer, Joliot-Curie, which is operated by CEA at TGCC. This integration represents a significant advancement in hybrid computing capabilities in Europe. The TGCC environment is known for its high-performance scientific computing and Big Data capabilities, making it an ideal location for one of the first quantum computers designed to operate in tandem with supercomputers. This integration will allow European and French researchers to work on hybrid use cases and experiment on actual hardware.
Quantum Computing and High-Performance Computing: A Powerful Combination
The integration of Pasqal’s QPU with GENCI’s supercomputer is set to revolutionize various sectors, including pharmaceuticals and energy. By leveraging quantum computations, complex data processing and simulation tasks can be enhanced. Analog quantum computing, a product of this HPC-QC integration, is particularly suitable for optimization workloads and the simulation of physical systems. Such optimization has numerous practical applications in industries such as banking, logistics, transportation, and energy grid management.
Another QPU will also be installed in Germany at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) and coupled with the JURECA supercomputer. These systems will form the foundation of a pan-European hybrid HPC + quantum computing infrastructure, which will be open to all European users to explore the potential of quantum computing on their applications.
Enhancing Research and Industry Capabilities through Quantum Computing
The HPCQS project is progressing, with the integration of the QPU into the existing supercomputer infrastructure already underway. CEA and Pasqal have collaborated with EVIDEN to leverage EVIDEN’s Qaptiva environment to integrate the QPU with the HQI platform. The goal of this integration is to allow end-users to program their hybrid code and send it to Joliot-Curie, which will then offload the quantum code to the Pasqal system via Qaptiva.
The acquisition of Pasqal’s QPU is a crucial part of CEA and GENCI’s collaborative work on the France Hybrid HPC Quantum Initiative (HQI). This initiative aims to deploy a hybrid HPC-QC platform coupling several quantum technologies with a classical supercomputer for the benefit of open research. HQI also includes an academic and industrial research program that focuses on this HPC-QC integration, the development of hybrid applications, and exploratory topics like noise characterization and the mitigation and use of quantum links for computing.
About GENCI, CEA, and Pasqal
GENCI, created by the public authorities in 2007, is a major research infrastructure. This public operator aims to democratize the use of digital simulation through high-performance computing associated with the use of artificial intelligence and quantum computing to support French scientific and industrial competitiveness.
CEA is a major research organization working in the best interests of the French State, its economy, and citizens. It provides tangible solutions to meet their needs in four key fields: low-carbon energy, digital technologies, technologies for medicine of the future, and defense and national security.
Pasqal is a company that builds quantum processors from ordered neutral atoms in 2D and 3D arrays to bring a practical quantum advantage to its customers and address real-world problems. Pasqal was founded in 2019, out of the Institut d’Optique, by Georges-Olivier Reymond, Christophe Jurczak, Professor Dr. Alain Aspect – Nobel Prize Laureate Physics, 2022, Dr. Antoine Browaeys, and Dr. Thierry Lahaye. Pasqal has secured more than €140 million in financing to date.
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