⚛️ Quantum Computing: A Revolution in Progress

As classical computing reaches its limits on complex problems, quantum computing is opening the door to a new era. By harnessing the principles of superposition, entanglement, and interference, quantum processors could one day solve certain problems exponentially faster than traditional machines.

🇪🇺 European Ambition, French Strategy

While the U.S. and China currently lead the global race, Europe and France are ramping up their efforts:

🔹 Quantum Flagship (EU – 2018): €1 billion over 10 years

🔹 French National Quantum Strategy (2021): €1.8 billion to: • Support startups and research labs • Build a sovereign quantum computer • Develop industrial partnerships and test platforms • Train talent in this still-nascent but strategic field

🔹 France 2030 – Quantum Computing Initiative: €500 million over 10 years Launched under the France 2030 plan and coordinated by the French Defence Innovation Agency (DGA), this ambitious program aims to develop a fault-tolerant universal quantum computer by 2030. Five French startups — Alice & Bob, Pasqal, Quandela, C12, and Quobly — have been selected to participate in the competitive PROQCIMA program, with the objective of demonstrating a 128-logical-qubit processor by 2030, and scaling up to 2048 qubits by 2035.

🇫🇷 A Thriving French Ecosystem France is home to pioneering startups, each exploring a unique quantum path:

🔹 Pasqal – Neutral atoms (hybrid analog/digital approach)

🔹 Alice & Bob – Superconducting cat qubits with built-in error correction

🔹 Quandela – Optical quantum computing with single photons

🔹 C12 – Carbon nanotube-based quantum processors, aiming for high fidelity and scalability through ultra-pure materials

Major industry players — Atos, Thales, EDF, OVHcloud, TotalEnergies — are also actively exploring quantum applications in their sectors.

📢 In January 2025, Alice & Bob raised €100M to build particularly a 4,000 m² quantum center in Paris, including a cleanroom and a cryostat farm, with the goal of delivering a 100-logical-qubit processor — Graphene — by 2030.

Those strategic investments highlights France’s ambition to move beyond scientific excellence and toward industrial sovereignty in quantum technologies.

🏫 Inspiring Moments

In 2023/2024, during my Executive Master at Polytechnique, I had the honor of attending a keynote by Nobel Laureate Alain Aspect, who shared his vision of the challenges and promises of quantum computing — and who also is a scientific advisor to Pasqal.

His groundbreaking experiments in the 1980s confirmed the reality of quantum entanglement, proving that even particles separated by vast distances remain mysteriously connected — a phenomenon at the heart of modern quantum technologies.

This discovery demonstrated that the quantum world doesn’t follow classical intuition — it obeys its own strange and fascinating rules.

As part of the same program, I also had the opportunity to visit the Quantum Circuits and Matter Lab (QCMX) — a joint research unit of CNRS, École Polytechnique, and Institut Polytechnique de Paris — working notably on the use of carbon nanotubes to build quantum processors.

🔬 Visit to Quandela – Massy, France

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Quandela in Massy with the Scientific Council of the ENGIE AI Program, and to explore their photonic approach to quantum computing. It was truly impressive to witness firsthand the transition from cutting-edge research to industrial innovation.

🧠 AI & Quantum: A Converging Frontier

➡️ Today Large Language Models (like GPT, LLaMA, or Gemini) are trained on powerful classical GPUs — but this comes at a steep cost in energy, speed, and scalability.

➡️ Already Quantum-inspired techniques are starting to enhance AI.

For instance, Multiverse Computing’s CompactifAI applies tensor networks from quantum physics to compress AI models: • Up to 93% model size reduction • No performance loss • Up to 50% faster training

This is quantum-enhanced AI — still running on classical hardware, but already showing disruptive potential.

➡️ Next: AI on Native Quantum Hardware In December 2024, Google unveiled Willow, a 105-qubit superconducting chip that successfully performed Random Circuit Sampling in under 5 minutes — a task estimated to take 10 septillion years on a classical supercomputer.

This is more than a performance milestone — it marks a critical leap toward reliable, error-corrected quantum processors, the foundation needed for AI to eventually run natively on quantum hardware.

💡 Why this matters for AI

Willow’s breakthrough brings us closer to a new paradigm — one where quantum computing empowers AI to surpass even the most advanced classical systems.

🔹 1. Breaking classical limits Quantum hardware could: • Dramatically accelerate AI training • Reduce energy consumption • Solve optimization and search problems currently intractable on classical machines

🔹 2. Unlocking native quantum-AI architectures Not just faster AI — but entirely new capabilities: • Quantum neural networks • More powerful generative models • Advanced pattern recognition and dimensionality reduction via quantum linear algebra

🔹 3. Making the "impossible" possible Today’s computing limits block progress in areas like: • Complex simulations for scientific discovery, • Real-time adaptation in dynamic environments • Hyper-complex optimization in energy, logistics, and beyond