Atomic Quantum Computing as a Service

Revolutionary advances in our ability to prepare and control collections of isolated quantum objectswill provide the means to solve important computational problems that cannot be solved even with the most powerful classical computers. Quantum computing (QC) has been identified as a key strategic area for France and Europe, as the first major applications are expected to be in high performance scientific computing (quantum chemistry, physics, materials science) and machine learning, with wider implications reaching to energy storage, big data and artificial intelligence, life and medical sciences, logistics, and presumably other subjects.

With the growing capabilities of and expectations for QC, there is an urgent need to make this technology more accessible for research and to train the scientists and engineers who will build the French and European quantum-ready society and industry.  To achieve this goal, we are developing a public QC infrastructure “aQCess” based on neutral atom technology.  aQCess is based on a first-of-its-kind digital quantum processor with more than 400 individually controllable qubits. It will be powered by ultracold Rydberg atoms which have recently emerged as one of the most attractive physical systems for quantum simulation and computing.

The aQCess team plays a pioneering role guiding the project according to the needs of different use cases of industrial relevance, e.g., hybrid quantum-classical quantum chemistry calculations, quantum simulation of strong light-matter interactions and quantum spin models, inverse material design, quantum machine learning, and optimization problems, with a focus on noise-resilient approaches highly optimized for atomic digital quantum simulators and computers. Currently in its installation phase, it is expected to be open in early 2027  as a training, testing, and development platform for the growing number research groups, start-ups and established companies investing in quantum technologies.