Pasqal is coordinating the Q-PLANET initiative, bringing together 28 partners from 11 countries to develop chips for neutral-atom quantum-computing technologies.
Pasqal is coordinating the implementation of Q-PLANET (Quantum Pilot Line for production of Advanced chips for Neutral atom European Technologies), a major EU initiative co-funded by the EU Chips Joint Undertaking and regional authorities. Backed by €50 million over three years, the consortium brings together 28 partners from 11 European countries to develop industrial-grade chip components for neutral-atom quantum computing, sensing, and communication. Three months after its official kick-off in Brussels, the pilot line has moved from vision to execution.
Q-PLANET delivers a flagship initiative of the European Quantum Strategy, supporting large-scale industrialization of quantum technologies across the European Union in line with the upcoming EU Quantum Act. Through this pan-European collaborative effort, the project will establish the foundations for a resilient, state-of-the-art European quantum supply chain, strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy and global competitiveness in quantum technologies.
Over the next three years, the consortium will develop critical industrial-grade chip-based components for neutral-atom quantum technologies, including lasers at four key wavelengths (461 nm, 698 nm, 795 nm and 1013 nm), atom chips for quantum sensing and computing, and microfabricated vapor cells for atomic clocks and field sensors. Q-PLANET will establish a pathway from laboratory research to industrial fabrication through the development of standardized Process Design Kits (PDKs) and Assembly Design Kits (ADKs), alongside energy-efficiency monitoring assessment across the production cycle of quantum technologies. Pasqal will lead development activities for chip-based laser sources at 1013 nm and will serve as an end-user of the microfabricated vapor cells and laser sources, providing specifications for their development, testing and validation.
Q-PLANET will strengthen the European industrial and scientific neutral-atom ecosystem by bringing together leading research and technology organizations, industry partners and academic research groups. The 28 partners will foster synergies across academia and industry, connecting scientific research, industrial capabilities and the development of real-world quantum applications. By addressing the needs of European users through advancements in quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communications, the pilot line will help lay the foundations for future quantum use cases in sectors including drug discovery and materials discovery. This effort aims to bring European quantum technologies closer to practical deployment and adoption.
"Three months after our kick-off in Brussels, Q-PLANET has moved from ambition to execution," said Loïc Henriet, CTO of Pasqal. "Together with our 28 partners, we are building a European supply chain for neutral-atom technologies, while bringing quantum industrialization closer to concrete user needs. Q-PLANET reflects Pasqal's commitment to Europe's quantum ambitions, bridging large-scale industrialization rooted in resilient capabilities with real-world application to build a globally competitive and resilient European quantum industry."
Pasqal, founded in 2019 on Nobel Prize–winning research, builds and operates neutral-atom quantum computers delivered with a full software stack for industry, science, and governments. The company's production-ready systems are available both on-premises and through the cloud. Headquartered in France with global operations, Pasqal's systems are used by customers including Saudi Aramco, Crédit Agricole CIB, and LG Electronics, and the company has partnerships with NVIDIA and IBM (as part of the IBM Quantum Network). Under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking procurement process, Pasqal has delivered three quantum processing units to European High-Performance Computing Centers in France (TGCC), Germany (Forschungszentrum Jülich) and Italy (CINECA). Pasqal is the elected European Convenor of CEN/CENELEC JTC22 European standardization WG3 on quantum computing and simulation, representing 34 European countries, and is a member of the French governmental delegation to the ISO/IEC JTC3 international standardization committee on quantum technologies.