{"id":14607,"date":"2024-03-14T16:35:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T16:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1404822"},"modified":"2024-03-14T16:35:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T16:35:54","slug":"french-mod-taps-5-startups-to-develop-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=14607","title":{"rendered":"French MoD taps 5 startups to develop fault-tolerant quantum computer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Quantum computers have an almost mythical status among data scientists and researchers. The dream of emerging out of the NISQ (noisy intermediate-scale quantum) era into a world of fault-tolerant qubits generating unbreakable encryption or solving climate change keeps many startups<\/a> going despite difficult investment propositions with longer return horizons. <\/span>
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<\/span>But quantum technologies<\/a> don\u2019t only inspire wonder and excitement \u2014 they are also a growing geopolitical concern. More and more countries are setting up ambitious quantum strategies, and the US has placed export controls on equipment that supports quantum technology development to China. <\/span>
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<\/span>As part of its \u20ac1bn National Strategy for Quantum, France just launched what is called the PROQCIMA initiative. The aim of the \u20ac500mn program is to develop a universal fault-tolerant quantum computer with 128 logical qubits by 2032. And the Ministry of Defence has selected a cohort of five quantum startups to battle it out for the funding. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cCat qubits\u201d reducing quantum computing errors <\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the companies selected is Alice & Bob. The startup says it has developed what it calls \u201ccat qubits.\u201d Without getting too technical (meaning trying to bend our minds around qubit superposition), this significantly reduces one of the major issues with quantum development, namely error correction. <\/span>
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<\/span>Its \u201ccat qubit\u201d is protected against what is called bit-flip errors, where the qubit\u2019s state flips from 1 to 0 or vice versa. These can occur due to interactions with the environment or imperfections in quantum gate operations, and lead to computational inaccuracies. <\/span>
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<\/span>According to research<\/span><\/a> conducted by the company in collaboration with Inria, the French national research institute for digital science and technology, this approach could mean a 200-fold reduction of the resources needed to execute complex quantum algorithms, including code-breaking applications. <\/span><\/p>\n

Quantum race is on for the French startups<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The PROQCIMA initiative, which also foresees the industrialisation of a 2048-logical-qubits computer by 2035, will run as a competition for the next five years. After four years, three startups will remain. After eight years into the program, only two companies will continue to get funding. <\/span>
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<\/span>\u201cThis initiative will support establishing our global leadership and fueling the whole ecosystem\u2019s growth,\u201d said Th\u00e9au Peronnin, CEO and co-founder of Alice & Bob. \u201cWe stand ready to contribute our cat qubit fault-tolerant architecture to PROQCIMA, driving innovation and committing to deliver the full potential of quantum computing.\u201d <\/span>
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<\/span>Alice & Bob (named after the world\u2019s most <\/span>famous cryptographic couple<\/span><\/a>) is based in Paris, France, and Boston, US, has secured \u20ac30mn in funding thus far, and employs over 90 people. <\/span>
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<\/span>The other startups joining the company for PROQCIMA are:<\/span><\/p>\n