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EuroQCS-France: remote access to a 12-qubit Quandela system is now available for European users!

The EuroQCS-France consortium, led by GENCI and CEA, is pleased to announce that European researchers can now access a 12-qubit Quandela photonic quantum computing system remotely. This exciting development allows […]

Quantum Computer

The EuroQCS-France consortium, led by GENCI and CEA, is pleased to announce that European researchers can now access a 12-qubit Quandela photonic quantum computing system remotely. This exciting development allows European users to begin programming and testing their applications on a real photonic quantum computer, months ahead of the anticipated deployment at TGCC (CEA’s computing center) of the on-premise Lucy system in the end of 2025. They can be supported by experts from a High-Level Support Team to port their applications onto the photonic quantum computer.

The EuroQCS-France consortium and the selection of Quandela as supplier by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU)

In 2024, EuroHPC JU selected a consortium formed by Quandela and its German partner attocube systems AG as the supplier of the photonic quantum computing technology as part of the EuroQCS-France initiative. This collaboration is set to pave the way for a new era in quantum computing across Europe, enhancing research capabilities and advancing the quantum ecosystem.

In November 2024, on the occasion of SC24, EuroQCS-France officially announced the provision of early remote access to a 6-qubit Quandela photonic quantum computer for the European open research community. Now, users will be able to run their code on a remote 12-qubit quantum computer, with the same design as the upcoming Lucy system. This provides a unique opportunity to engage with a photonic quantum computer, allowing open research communities to get hands-on experience before the Lucy system is fully installed and operational at TGCC in 2025.

Key Benefits for European Researchers

· Early Access: Open research communities can begin preparing their code using Perceval now, the Quandela programming and emulation environment deployed on the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, and run their applications on a remote 12-qubit photonic quantum computer similar to the targeted Lucy system.

· No Wait for Deployment: Users will not have to wait for the installation of Lucy to access a real quantum computing system, allowing them to start experimenting and testing their applications immediately.

· Expert Support: A High-Level Support Team will assist users in porting their applications onto the photonic quantum computer, ensuring that researchers can fully leverage the technology.

· Training Sessions: GENCI/CEA and Quandela will be offering specialized training on hybrid HPC-QC programming schemes, helping users prepare for the integration of Lucy with Joliot-Curie.

How to Access the Remote System

The process to access the remote Quandela system will be outlined by CEA, and interested researchers can apply for access through the designated channels. More details will be provided shortly.

Looking Ahead

EuroQCS-France is part of the broader European effort to build a diverse, pan-European hybrid HPC/QC infrastructure. Lucy, the 12-qubit photonic quantum computer, will soon join other cutting-edge quantum systems across Europe, each based on different hardware technologies. These systems include scalable superconducting qubits (Euro-Q-Exa), star-shaped superconducting qubits (LUMI-Q), trapped ions (EuroQCS-Poland), quantum annealing (EuroQCS-Spain), neutral atoms (EuroQCS-Italy), each system providing unique capabilities and research opportunities.

In the coming months, as the Lucy system’s deployment approaches, this early access will be crucial in ensuring that European researchers are well-prepared to take full advantage of the system’s capabilities.

GENCI/CEA and Quandela will be organizing training sessions on hybrid HPC-QC programming schemes leveraging photonic quantum computing to anticipate the integration of Lucy with Joliot-Curie.

About EuroQCS-France

EuroQCS-France is a consortium led by GENCI as Hosting Entity and CEA as Hosting Site, with the University Politechnica of Bucharest (UPB, Romania), Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ, Germany) and Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC, Ireland), selected by EuroHPC JU in 2022 as a result of the call for expression of interest EUROHPC-2022-CEI-QC-01.

EuroQCS-France aims to provide European open research communities with access to a photonic quantum computer coupled with the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, just like the 100-qubit Pasqal quantum simulator Ruby, acquired in the context of the HPCQS project.

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[VIVATECH] AdvanThink and Quandela demonstrate the ability to integrate Quantum Artificial Intelligence into proven payment fraud detection models  

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Paris – Saclay, June 17, 2025 

AdvanThink, Europe’s leading expert in real-time payment fraud detection, and Quandela, a leader in quantum computing, have established a strategic partnership aimed at transforming the future of payment fraud prevention.  

The Promise: By leveraging the complementary strengths of AI and quantum computing, the two companies aim to develop high-performance fraud detection models designed for real-world deployment. These systems will be capable of identifying payment fraud faster and with greater accuracy than existing solutions.

Detecting payment fraud in real time remains one of today’s most significant technological, operational, and strategic challenges. In response to constantly evolving fraud techniques, AdvanThink has spent 35 years building strategic tools powered by artificial intelligence that continuously learn and adapt to emerging threats. In this ongoing race to improve performance, artificial intelligence has become an essential tool, capable of detecting subtle warning signs across large volumes of data with unprecedented precision and speed. 

Future requirements will be even more demanding. Fraud detection models will need to be faster, more accurate, more energy-efficient, and more resilient against increasingly sophisticated attacks. It is within this context that AdvanThink and Quandela have joined forces to explore the potential of quantum computing and push the boundaries of state-of-the-art fraud detection. 

The first phase of this partnership will focus on developing a proof of concept that demonstrates the value of integrating quantum machine learning algorithms into AdvanThink’s industrial pipelines.

“For 35 years, AdvanThink has placed technological innovation at the heart of its development strategy. Quantum AI holds a significant promise when it comes to fraud detection. It serves as a powerful catalyst for innovation in building the secure payment solutions of tomorrow – and financial institutions need to begin acknowledging this transformation today. We have already successfully integrated Quandela’s technology into an AdvanThink pipeline, meeting all the requirements of an industrial-grade system ready for deployment. This first demonstrator holds great potential for experts in fraud detection,” says Brice Perdrix, CEO of AdvanThink.

“Quandela has already developed a quantum machine learning model that enhances credit risk assessment. The algorithm also shows strong potential in payment fraud detection. Quandela’s partnership with AdvanThink facilitates the integration of this model into an industrial workflow and enables benchmarking against the best products on the market,” adds Niccolo Somaschi, co-founder and CEO of Quandela.

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MerLin Unveiled: The First Quantum Layer for Data Scientists, Optimized for NVIDIA Accelerated Computing 

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Launching at GTC Paris, MerLin democratizes quantum machine learning by integrating with classical AI tools—backed by GPU-accelerated performance 

Paris, France – June 11th – Today, Quandela announces MerLin, a groundbreaking quantum computing framework designed for and by AI data scientists. Set to debut at NVIDIA GTC Paris, MerLin redefines quantum machine learning (QML) with a GPU-first approach, enabling researchers to simulate and benchmark algorithms beyond the limits of today’s quantum hardware. 

Quantum Meets AI: A Collaborative Future 

MerLin positions itself as the “quantum layer for data scientists” – contrasting with other quantum machine learning tools that target quantum scientists. By abstracting quantum complexity into familiar workflows (e.g., PyTorch/scikit-learn integrations), MerLin empowers AI practitioners to prototype hybrid quantum-classical models in hours, not months. Early adopters – including teams from the Perceval Quest, and researchers from Mila, NYUAD’s QML Lab and Scaleway – are collaborating with us to leverage MerLin and bridge classical and quantum workflows. 

Quantum shouldn’t demand a PhD to use,” said Niccolo Somaschi, co-founder & CEO of Quandela. “MerLin gives data scientists a GPU-accelerated gateway to quantum advantage while ensuring their work remains compatible with real hardware today—and tomorrow. By integrating benchmarks and noise-aware validation, we’re addressing a critical gap: the lack of reproducible metrics in hybrid algorithm research.” 

Powerful simulation tools are essential to develop better algorithms and accelerate the path to broad quantum advantage”, said Sam Stanwyck, Group Product Manager for quantum computing at NVIDIA. “MerLin solves a critical ecosystem need by opening the door for the broader research community to develop with photonic quantum circuits.” 

Key Innovations 

  1. GPU-Optimized Simulators
  • Leveraging NVIDIA CUDA-Q, MerLin delivers high-performance simulation for photonic quantum circuits, enabling tests for hardware that doesn’t yet exist (e.g., 24+ qubit systems). 
  1. Benchmark-Driven Progress
  • MerLin establishes reproducible metrics for hybrid algorithms, addressing the “benchmarking gap” in QML research—where thousands of papers lack standardized comparisons. 
  • Integrated with Quandela Cloud, it enables immediate validation of GPU-optimized algorithms on real photonic hardware, studying noise impact and scalability. 
  • Targets pragmatic use cases like quantum-enhanced kNN, GANs, and variational algorithms—backed by hardware-aware compilation. 
  1. Photonic-First, Future-Proof
  • Designed for today’s photonic QPUs (e.g., Perceval-based systems) but architected to adapt to next-gen hardware. 
  • Features like dynamic circuit recompilation ensure code scalability across hardware generations. 

Who Uses MerLin? 

  • AI/ML Practitioners: Prototype quantum layers without rewriting classical pipelines. 
  • Quantum Researchers: Access photonic-specific tools (e.g., boson sampling) with GPU-accelerated simulation. 
  • Enterprises: Pilot hybrid quantum-AI workflows with clear ROI benchmarks. 

MerLin allowed us to adapt existing algorithms to a photonic-native format within a short timeframe. The platform offered useful comparative insights that contributed to our ongoing research and publication efforts”, said Dr. Louis Chen, an early user, Research Associate at the Quantum Centre of Imperial College London (Imperial QuEST) and participant in the most recent Perceval Quest.

Availability & Strategic Vision 

MerLin will be freely accessible to accelerate adoption, with enterprise tiers for advanced features. The roadmap includes: 

  • Q2 2025: Stable PyTorch/scikit-learn APIs. 
  • 2026+: Support for 24+ qubit photonic systems. 

Learn More: merlinquantum.ai 

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French-German cooperation advances Europe’s quantum computer Lucy

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WITTENSTEIN and Quandela underscore European innovative strength

Two leading technology companies from Germany and France are joining forces to help shape Europe’s future in quantum computing: attocube systems GmbH, a company of the WITTENSTEIN group and specialist in nanotechnology, and Quandela, a pioneer in photonic quantum computer technology. The companies have been working together on the development of the European quantum computer Lucy. Representatives of the owners, Management Board and senior management of the WITTENSTEIN group took advantage of a visit to Paris to meet with the Quandela team and assess the status of the joint project.

Lucy is no ordinary computer. It is based on light particles – known as photons – and belongs to a new generation of quantum computers that are opening up completely new possibilities in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, and materials research. The quantum computer was commissioned by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) following a competitive tender process won by the Quandela-attocube consortium.

The collaboration between Quandela and attocube demonstrates how European companies can work together to achieve technological excellence. While Quandela is developing the photonic quantum platform, attocube is supplying high-precision cryogenic systems—technology that generates the extremely low temperatures required for quantum processes.

The visit to France focused on technical progress and system integration. The participants discussed how quantum and classical computers can be combined even more effectively in the future—for example, for hybrid applications in AI or complex simulations.

“Lucy is more than a technical project – she is a symbol of European innovation,” said Dr. Bertram Hoffmann, CEO of WITTENSTEIN SE. Niccolo Somaschi, co-founder and CEO of Quandela, added: “Lucy stands for technological excellence and for the common goal of making Europe a world leader in quantum computing.”

Lucy is scheduled to go into operation later this year. It will be based at the French supercomputer center CEA TGCC, where it will serve as the cornerstone of a sovereign European quantum ecosystem.