Europe does not stand idly by in the development process of quantum computers and many startups operate in this field on the Old Continent. pascal And Qu&CoFrench and Dutch startups respectively, have announcement who will merge to create a new company, called pascal and with headquarters in Paris. The new entity will offer both hardware and software to its customers.
Pasqal and Qu&Co announce the merger: they will simply be Pasqal
Pasqal is a French startup developing quantum computers based on what is called “neutral atoms”, a name that should actually be seen as a contrast to the use of positively or negatively charged ions or atoms. Also called “Rydberg atoms”, the atoms used by Pasqal have an electron carried in the orbit farthest from the nucleus of the nucleus; in a sense, they are “almost ions”, since the electron is effectively one step away from the disengagement of the nucleus.
The advantage of this approach is twofold: on the one hand you have a much more predictable behavior of the electron (approximate to that of Bohr’s atomic model), on the other hand there is no need to use cryogenic refrigerators fundamental, however, for quantum computers from IBM and other manufacturers.
Qu&Coon the other hand, is a company specializing in the development of software for quantum computers, in particular algorithms for finance, chemistry and fluid dynamics. Its customers include names such as Airbus, BMW, EDF, Johnson & Johnson, LG and Thales.
The skills of the two companies are therefore complementary and this is what makes them hope that the merger will lead to a strengthening of their position on the market. “Leveraging the synergies of both companies will further strengthen our solution a whole package based on neutral atoms to obtain a short-term commercial advantage”he stated Georges Olivier ReymondPasqual CEO. “Qu&Co’s technology and its exceptionally talented workers have proven expertise in various industries and will enable us to solidify our position as the world leader in quantum computing. The combination of our platforms will be made available via the cloud to all partners of the Pasqal ecosystem, including customers, software developers, etc.”
The new company aims to present a 1000 qubit quantum computer by 2023thus also going to compete in number with the American companies active in the sector.