EDF, Alice & Bob, Quandela and CNRS Partner to Optimize Quantum Computing’s Energy Efficiency

• BTQ and Quandela MOU: BTQ Technologies and Quandela have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly explore how photonic quantum computing can advance energy-efficient blockchain validation through BTQ’s Quantum Sampling Proof-of-Work (QSPoW) protocol.
• Future Proofing Bitcoin: QSPoW is a Bitcoin-inspired quantum-secure and energy-efficient alternative to traditional PoW mining, aimed at preserving the integrity of the world’s largest digital asset in the face of advancing quantum threats.
• Quantum Meets Blockchain: The collaboration focuses on leveraging Quandela’s real and simulated boson-sampling data to test QSPoW’s performance, with the goal of reducing the computational and energy demands of traditional Proof-of-Work systems.
• Path to Commercialization: If performance benchmarks are met, the companies will explore commercialization opportunities, including the potential integration of Quandela’s Belenos quantum processor into future quantum-secure blockchain systems.

VANCOUVER, BC, May 22, 2025 /CNW/ – BTQ Technologies Corp. (the “Company”) (CBOE CA: BTQ) (FSE: NG3) (OTCQX: BTQQF), a global quantum technology company focused on securing mission-critical networks, is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Quandela SAS (“Quandela”), a pioneering French quantum computing company renowned for its NISQ-era photonic quantum computing platform.

This collaboration marks a strategic step forward in evaluating how emerging quantum technologies can enhance blockchain systems. The partnership will center on BTQ’s Quantum Sampling Proof-of-Work (QSPoW) protocol—a novel approach to blockchain validation that aims to significantly reduce energy usage while strengthening cryptographic security.

Under the MOU, BTQ and Quandela will jointly explore several strategic areas. These include investigating real-world use cases for Quandela’s photonic quantum computing platform, working together on the use of Quandela’s boson-sampling technology—both simulated and real—through its Perceval cloud platform, and analyzing how this data performs in BTQ’s Quantum Sampling Proof-of-Work (QSPoW) testnet. Based on the outcomes of this analysis, the two companies will also evaluate potential pathways for commercialization.

Proof-of-Work (PoW) systems—like those used by Bitcoin—rely on massive computing power to validate transactions. BTQ’s QSPoW replaces this with boson sampling, a quantum process where light particles (photons) pass through an optical network to generate hard-to-predict outcomes. These outcomes can serve as a quantum secure and energy-efficient alternative to traditional PoW, and because this problem is hard to solve on non-quantum computers, the protocol is resistant to power hungry ASIC devices. QSPoW also creates a path towards creating a quantum-safe store of value by incorporating properties of quantum mechanics into the PoW consensus algorithm, ensuring no quantum adversary will be able to control the network. This approach directly addresses the growing threat quantum technologies pose to digital assets like Bitcoin, a concern recently highlighted in BlackRock’s amendment to its risk disclosure in its S-1 filing.

While various actors in the Bitcoin community are taking steps to enable the uses of cryptographic algorithms that would be resistant to advanced quantum computers, there is no guarantee that new quantum-proof architectures will be built and appropriate transitions will be implemented across the network at scale in a timely manner; any such changes could require the achievement of broad consensus within the Bitcoin network community and a fork (or multiple forks), and there can be no assurance that such consensus would be achieved or the changes implemented successfully.” – BlackRock, Inc. (2025). S-1 Registration Statement: iShares® Bitcoin Trust ETF. SEC.gov. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1980994/000143774925015853/bit20250418_posam.htm

As quantum computers become more powerful, the security of Bitcoin  comes under increasing threat. Today, Bitcoin relies on traditional cryptographic frameworks and Proof-of-Work to keep the network secure—approaches that future quantum machines may be able to break. BTQ’s Quantum Sampling Proof-of-Work (QSPoW) is being developed as a next-generation solution that could help protect Bitcoin from these emerging risks, while also using far less energy than current mining methods.

As part of the collaboration, Quandela will deliver datasets tailored to BTQ’s technical requirements, which will include both simulated quantum data and experimental results where feasible. BTQ will use this data to conduct tests on its QSPoW testnet and will share its performance analysis with Quandela. Together, the two companies will also explore techniques to reduce errors in quantum processes and will assess how Quandela’s Belenos quantum processor could be integrated into future versions of the QSPoW protocol.

“This MOU reflects our shared ambition to advance real-world applications for quantum hardware and software,” said Olivier Roussy Newton, CEO of BTQ Technologies. “We’re excited to work with Quandela to rigorously test our QSPoW protocol and set the foundation for a new generation of blockchain security.”

Niccolo Somaschi, CEO of Quandela, added: “Partnering with BTQ highlights the versatility and promise of our photonic quantum platform. This collaboration is a great opportunity to demonstrate how quantum technologies can be used for emerging cryptographic protocols.”

The MOU outlines a framework for ongoing cooperation, information sharing, and public announcements of any meaningful scientific or commercial outcomes.

• An exponential growth: 4,000 times more powerful than the previous generation
• A new technological milestone just two years after the launch of the first photonic quantum computer in the cloud
• Qubits expected to double within a year, multiplying power by 16 million

Paris,  May 22^nd 2025 – Quandela, the leader in quantum computing, announces the launch of Belenos, the world’s most powerful photonic quantum computer. This is a key milestone in the company’s Roadmap 2030, which is on track to meet its ambitious timeline. Accessible to commercial and industrial partners in the cloud, Belenos offers 4,000 times more computing power than the previous generation, unveiled just two years ago with the launch of the first photonic quantum computer in the cloud. The first fully integrated version will be delivered in a supercomputer at the end of 2025.

Exponential growth in computing power

Based at Quandela’s headquarters in Massy near Paris, Belenos is now available in the cloud to more than 1,200 researchers and partner companies in 30 countries: nearly two-thirds of them are European (40% French), with a significant share of the user base located in North America and Asia.

This new generation of quantum computer, with its 12 photonic qubits, represents a major technological advance compared with the previous 6-qubit version launched at the end of 2022. This progress far exceeds Moore’s Law, which predicts a doubling in the performance of conventional processors every two years.

The next generation, called Canopus, expected in just one year’s time, will double the number of qubits once more, resulting in a 16 million-fold increase in computing power. Within three years, Quandela plans to develop a quantum computer with more than 40 qubits, whose power will exceed the simulation capabilities of any conventional computer.

Revolutionary real-life applications

This technological leap means that innovative algorithms can now be tested on physical machines to speed up certain AI calculations, such as image classification and generation, as demonstrated during the BMW-Airbus challenge which Quandela won in December 2024. As a result, hundreds of international researchers working on the company’s cloud platform can now explore new frontiers, particularly in the field of quantum machine learning (QML).

While education and research represent a solid basis for the activity of Quandela’s partners, the business community is showing promising momentum, and already accounts for 25% of uses, illustrating the accelerating adoption of quantum technologies in the private sector.

The following use cases already identified by EuroHPC will benefit from HPC-Quantics coupling: electromagnetic simulation, structural mechanics, combustion in engines, materials simulation, meteorology and earth observation.

A first integrated version will be delivered to EuroHPC/GENCI and operated at the CEA’s Très Grand Centre de Calcul (TGCC) by the end of 2025.

A timeline that delivers on its promises with an ambitious vision

The commissioning of Belenos demonstrates Quandela’s ability to meet its bold agenda. This step is in line with the technological roadmap to 2030 unveiled last autumn (see press release of 11 October 2024).

« We are extremely proud of this new development. Cloud access to Belenos now offers to our partners the possibility to explore use cases where the speed of calculation and the number of computational operations per data point are essential; these capabilities, offered by Belenos, are inaccessible to the competition. This paves the way for concrete applications in machine learning and at the interface between AI and quantum, in sectors that are as varied as they are strategic for the future », declares Niccolo Somaschi, co-founder and CEO of Quandela.

Paris, April 29, 2025 – Quandela, a European leader in quantum computing, announces the appointment of Professor Alberto Peruzzo as VP NextGen Quantum Computers. Alberto is an internationally recognized expert in quantum photonics, quantum algorithms, and scalable quantum computer architectures. He joins Quandela to accelerate the development of scalable, fault-tolerant quantum processors, as part of the company’s roadmap toward large-scale universal quantum computing. 

At 46 years old, Alberto Peruzzo brings over 18 years of experience at the cutting edge of quantum technologies. Most recently, he served as Head of Quantum Computing at Qubit Pharmaceuticals, where he focused on applying quantum algorithms to molecular modeling and drug discovery. Previously, he held academic and leadership roles as Director of the Quantum Photonics Laboratory in Melbourne, Principal Investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, and Node Director within the same network. Throughout his career, he has combined scientific leadership with strategic vision to advance quantum technologies, contributing both to fundamental research and to practical applications in quantum computing. 

Alberto Peruzzo, VP NextGen Quantum Computers at Quandela 

“I am thrilled to join Quandela at a time when the foundations of large-scale quantum computing are being laid. Photonics is particularly well positioned to deliver scalable quantum systems, and I look forward to working with the team to make fault-tolerant quantum processors a reality,” said Alberto Peruzzo, newly appointed VP NextGen Quantum Computers at Quandela. 

Alberto is known for his ability to combine deep scientific expertise with a strategic vision for the commercialization of quantum technologies. At Quandela, he will lead the Next Gen Quantum Computers team, coordinating the definition and implementation of the architecture for future scalable quantum processors. 

“Alberto is a leading figure in the quantum photonics community and brings a rare combination of academic excellence and system-level vision. His leadership will be instrumental in advancing our roadmap toward the development of large-scale fault-tolerant quantum processors,” said Niccolo Somaschi, co-founder and CEO of Quandela. 

“Quandela is one of the most exciting quantum companies in the world, leading the race in quantum photonics. I’m excited to join this exceptional team and contribute to the development of the next generation of quantum processors — pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing,” concluded Alberto Peruzzo.