Quandela, a French company specializing in quantum computing, has announcement on June 14 the signing of a partnership with OVHcloud. The objective of this collaboration is to host the Perceval software suite, developed by Quandela, to enable manufacturers, developers and more broadly the scientific community to exploit all the benefits of quantum computing.
The start-up Quandela is trying to design a high-performance optical computer
Founded in 2017 by Pascale Senellart, research director at the Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies of the CNRS and the University of Paris-Saclay, Valérian Giesz, engineer and doctor in quantum optics, and Niccolo Somaschi, doctor in semiconductor nanotechnology, Quandela is known for the development of photonic (or optical) computers.
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Instead of using electrons to process information like any computer would, optical computers use photons to do so. The main advantage of using photons lies in the fact that they generate no magnetic interference or heat, while propagating faster than electrons. Thus, these computers are faster, and could potentially be more powerful than current conventional computers.
Quantum technology makes it possible to improve research in many fields, and more particularly in computer science and artificial intelligence. Image: Gartner.
The Perceval software suite for running quantum algorithms
In parallel with optical computers, Quandela works has developed a software suite to facilitate research around quantum computing. Entitled Perceval, it should make it possible to develop and execute quantum algorithms through the simulation of an optical quantum computer. The partnership signed with OVHcloud should allow Quandela to host Perceval in open source.
As Valérian Giesz, CEO and co-founder of Quandela, points out, ” with OVHcloud, we will offer users scalable computing capacity, allowing them to design and simulate algorithms with more photons “.
He then gives more information on the upcoming availability of the software suite: by the end of the year, we will make our photonic quantum computer available as a web service, which will allow OVHcloud users to seamlessly run their algorithms on a real photonic QPU “.
With this partnership, OVHcloud clearly shows that it is interested in quantum computing. A few days earlier, the hosting company had announced that the Atos quantum emulator would soon be available on its cloud platform. ” By announcing this partnership with Atos, OVHcloud confirms its ambition to address and make the most cutting-edge technologies accessible to as many people as possible. The quantum revolution and the deployment of the first use cases will not be possible without the Cloud, which guarantees a mode of consumption and freedom of use able to federate expert communities declared Thierry Souche, CTO of OVHcloud.
The firm is not the only one to have embarked on the quantum race in France. Many companies are trying either to design their own quantum computer like Alice & Bob or to offer services related to this technology.