France's CEA, Alice & Bob partner on quantum-supercomputing software

By Leo Marchandon

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Quantum computing startup Alice & Bob and France's state Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) announced a collaboration on Thursday to develop software for using quantum computers alongside classical supercomputers, initially to explore applications in materials physics.

They will seek to improve the Qaptiva software developed by state-owned supercomputer maker Bull to compete with Nvidia's CUDA-Q, in an effort to prevent the software bottleneck that CUDA has created in AI, executives at both entities told Reuters.

CEA, a research centre with an annual budget of nearly €6 billion ($6.9 billion) notably overseeing France's nuclear deterrent, said the programme aimed to boost the domestic quantum industry by becoming an early customer for French startups and granting them access to its computing facilities.

The aim is to link conventional supercomputers and quantum processors, assigning the quantum machine only the parts of a problem for which it may eventually offer an advantage.

CEA has already installed quantum computers from French companies Quandela and Pasqal alongside its classical supercomputer and will add Alice & Bob's in 2027.

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(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)