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Quandela delivers Lucy, the most advanced photonic quantum computer worldwide, to EuroHPC and GENCI at CEA’s TGCC.

Paris, France – October 23, 2025 – Quandela, GENCI and CEA today announced the delivery of Lucy, a 12-qubit universal digital photonic quantum computer, to the Très Grand Centre de […]

Paris, France – October 23, 2025 – Quandela, GENCI and CEA today announced the delivery of Lucy, a 12-qubit universal digital photonic quantum computer, to the Très Grand Centre de calcul (TGCC) of CEA. The system, delivered by the French-German consortium Quandela – attocube systems AG, was procured by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking in the context of the consortium EuroQCS-France.

A new European quantum capability

Lucy, the most powerful photonic quantum computer ever deployed in a European computing centre, has just been delivered to the TGCC. Equipped with 12 photonic qubits, the system offers researchers and industrial users an unprecedented platform to experiment with quantum algorithms, explore hybrid HPC–quantum workflows and develop early-stage applications in fields such as optimization, chemistry, and machine learning.

Lucy is strongly focused on end-user engagement. Hosted and operated at CEA’s TGCC, where it will be coupled to the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, Lucy will be made accessible to a wide community of European users. Initial application areas include energy grid optimization and renewable integration, financial portfolio optimization and risk modelling, logistics and supply chain management, as well as aerospace design, materials, and trajectory optimization.

By enabling these use cases, Lucy strengthens Europe’s position at the forefront of quantum research while preparing industry for future breakthroughs.

A quantum computer made in EU

Lucy was acquired by EuroHPC in the context of the consortium EuroQCS-France.[1] Building on the successful deployments at OVHcloud in 2023 and Exaion’s datacentres in Canada in 2024, it marks a new milestone in Europe’s quantum journey. Assembled in just twelve months at Quandela’s facilities, the system showcases the strength of European collaboration: cryogenic modules engineered by attocube systems AG near Munich, quantum devices manufactured in Quandela’s semiconductor pilot line in Palaiseau, and final integration at Quandela’s factory in Massy. With 80% of its components sourced in Europe – including all of its critical parts – Lucy exemplifies Europe’s capacity to design and deliver sovereign quantum technologies.

Early remote access to drive adoption

The system has entered an acceptance phase before its opening to European researchers at the beginning of 2026. To accelerate adoption and enable the European research community to prepare for this new capability ahead of Lucy’s full deployment, EuroHPC and GENCI have already provided remote access to other Quandela photonic quantum processors hosted in Massy, with computing resources granted by the GENCI’ eDARI web portal[1]. Users can program and run algorithms directly using Quandela’s Perceval and MerLin (tailored to address Quantum Machine Learning problems) environments, ensuring a smooth transition to on-premises access when Lucy becomes fully operational.

In parallel, GENCI, CEA and Quandela are already delivering webinars[2] and dedicated training sessions to prepare user communities. These initiatives cover practical access to the cloud QPU (Quantum Processing Unit), quantum machine learning use cases, and hands-on training on Lucy at TGCC. By combining early access with training, the objective is to foster a broad adoption of quantum computing across academia and industry.

Lucy will be the second QPU integrated in the TGCC supercomputing environment, emphasising CEA’s expertise in mastering the complexity of large computing infrastructures. This is a major step in enabling hybrid quantum computing for high performance applications.

Quotes

QUANDELA

“The delivery of Lucy is not just a new milestone – it is a key building block for Europe’s hybrid computing future. In collaboration with attocube systems, we built a photonic quantum processor that will interface with the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, enabling real hybrid HPC-quantum workflows. By providing this capability to a broad community of European researchers and industrial users, we are empowering them to explore new frontiers in simulation, optimization, and machine learning. This achievement strengthens Europe’s technological sovereignty and demonstrates the power of cross-border collaboration to shape the next generation of computing.”
 Niccolo Somaschi, Co-founder & CEO, Quandela

GENCI

“In the global race to develop quantum computers, the delivery to the CEA of Lucy, Europe’s most powerful photonic quantum computer, manufactured by the French company Quandela, represents a major step forward in French and European quantum ambitions. GENCI and the HQI program are particularly proud to have contributed to EuroHPC’s acquisition of this sovereign technology, which will then be connected to the Joliot-Curie supercomputer and, in 2026, to Alice Recoque, the Franco-European exascale supercomputer, in order to multiply the synergies between HPC environments and quantum computing, all in the service of world-class research for academic and industrial researchers” declared Philippe Lavocat, CEO and President, GENCI

CEA

“As a key player in quantum computing, from the most fundamental research to system implementation, CEA is pleased to welcome a second Quantum Processing Unit to its computing centre. This milestone is a new step on the road to Fault Tolerant Quantum Hybrid Computing. It marks the progress of the HQI platform, entrusted to the CEA as part of France’s national quantum strategy. The Lucy machine integrates into the shared HPC and quantum computing environment of the TGCC, bringing a rapidly advancing photonic-qubit technology with strong future potential. The CEA is eager to make Lucy available to researchers and industry, and proud to continue supporting leading French start-ups in their development” said Jean-Philippe Verger, Director of the CEA DAM Ile de France center.

About

GENCI

Created by the public authorities in 2007, GENCI (Grand Équipement National de Calcul Intensif) is a major research infrastructure. This public operator aims to democratise the use of digital simulation through high performance computing associated with the use of artificial intelligence, and quantum computing to support French scientific and industrial competitiveness.

GENCI is in charge of three missions:

  • To implement the national strategy for the provision of high-performance computing resources, storage, massive data processing associated with Artificial Intelligence technologies and quantum computing, for the benefit of French scientific research, in conjunction with the 3 national computing centres (CEA/TGCC, CNRS/IDRIS, France Universités/CINES).
  • Supporting the creation of an integrated ecosystem on a national and European level
  • Promoting digital simulation and supercomputing to academic research and industry

GENCI is a civil company 49% owned by the State represented by the Ministry in charge of Higher Education and Research, 20% by the CEA, 20% by the CNRS, 10% by the Universities represented by France Universités and 1% by Inria.

CEA

The CEA is a public research organization that supports public policy decision-making and equips French and European businesses and communities with the scientific and technological means to better navigate four major societal transitions: energy transition, digital transition, future healthcare, and national/global security. Its mission is to ensure France and Europe maintain scientific, technological, and industrial leadership, contributing to a more secure and controlled present and future for all. The CEA is guided by three core values: curiosity, cooperation, and a strong sense of responsibility.
Learn more at: www.cea.fr/english

France 2030

The French part of this acquisition is supported by the Secrétariat Général pour l’Investissement (SGPI) via the France 2030 program in the context of the French National Quantum Strategy. GENCI and CEA, together with Inria, have set up a hybrid HPC-Quantum computing infrastructure called HQI (France Hybrid HPC Quantum Initiative) in which various quantum technologies will be coupled to the Joliot Curie supercomputer hosted and operated at TGCC (project HQI-Acquisitions ref. ANR-22-PNCQ-0001).


[1] Led by GENCI with CEA, the University of Bucharest (UPC), ICHEC and Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ)

[1] www.edari.fr

[2] https://www.canal-u.tv/chaines/genci/webinaire-access-the-quandela-cloud-via-genci


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Quandela Validates Low-Latency Photonic QPU Integration with NVIDIA Accelerated Computing​

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Hamburg, Germany – June 23, 2026 – Quandela today announced that it has experimentally validated a low-latency integration path between photonic quantum processors and NVIDIA ​AI​​ infrastructure, marking an important milestone toward bringing quantum processing units directly into high-performance computing environments. Results presented at ISC 2026 demonstrate a path toward accelerator-style integration of photonic quantum processors in GPU-driven HPC environments.

The results show how a Quandela photonic QPU can be integrated with an NVIDIA GPU host and an FPGA-based Quantum System Controller through ​​NVIDIA NVQLink. More than a simple interconnect, NVQLink provides a hardware-and-software architecture for low-latency, real-time communication between GPU supercomputing infrastructure ​and quantum system controllers. The validation supports a new execution model for hybrid quantum-classical computing: moving beyond remote quantum access toward collocated quantum acceleration inside HPC infrastructure.

Today, most quantum processors are accessed through cloud APIs, job queues and orchestration layers. This approach remains valuable for experimentation and batch execution, but its asynchronous nature introduces latency that limits workflows requiring real-time responses inside AI or HPC pipelines.

Quandela’s results address this bottleneck. By measuring low-latency communication between GPU infrastructure and the FPGA-based Quantum System Controller, the company has validated a practical route for photonic QPUs to participate more directly in GPU-driven workloads.

“This is not just a demonstration of connectivity,” said Jean Senellart, Chief Technology & Product Officer at Quandela. “This validation confirms a technical path toward integrating photonic QPUs into the HPC accelerator stack. For the HPC community, the important shift is that quantum processors can start to be treated less like remote experimental instruments and more like accelerators deployed alongside GPUs.”

The validation is based on a collocated architecture combining NVIDIA accelerated computing and networking ​with an FPGA-based Quantum System Controller connected to a Quandela photonic QPU. In this model, existing HPC schedulers remain responsible for reservation, allocation and accounting, while the active GPU–QPU session is designed to avoid repeated traversal of the full cloud-style orchestration path.

The first target workloads are in photonic Quantum Machine Learning, including quantum reservoir computing, quantum feature maps and hybrid neural-network architectures. These workloads are particularly well suited to the architecture because many photonic circuits can remain configured during inference, while new data points require only lightweight updates before measurement.

This is where photonics offers a distinctive advantage. For selected QML workloads, the same optical configuration can be reused across many inference calls, while new data points require only lightweight updates before measurement. Combined with fast photonic sampling, this makes system-level latency – not only quantum execution time – a decisive factor in performance, which is why​ the low-latency interaction model enabled by NVQLink is​ crucial for successful operation​.

Quandela’s MerLin framework provides the software environment used to design, simulate, benchmark and validate these hybrid photonic QML workflows. The work also builds on Quandela’s MosaiQ photonic quantum computing platform, whose current systems are designed with FPGA-based control capabilities aligned with the Quantum System Controller model defined by NVIDIA​ ​NVQLink.

​For HPC centers, sovereign AI and quantum programs, advanced research organizations and industrial users, the validation points toward a future deployment model in which a customer-owned photonic QPU could be installed on-premise or in a dedicated data center environment and connected to NVIDIA accelerated computing infrastructure​.​

“​Tightly integrating quantum systems with accelerated computing is proving hugely impactful for quantum research,” said Sam Stanwyck, Director of Quantum Product at NVIDIA. “Quandela’s work with NVQLink shows how quantum-GPU supercomputing systems will fundamentally transform how we are able to think about computing applications when information can be passed seamlessly between different processors.”​

This announcement marks a technical validation milestone toward low-latency GPU–QPU integration, paving the way for future NVQLink-enabled MosaiQ deployments.

Beyond near-term hybrid AI and QML workloads, the same integration principles are relevant to future quantum computing architectures, where QPUs, FPGA-based control systems and GPU-accelerated infrastructure will need to operate in tightly coordinated environments. Low-latency GPU–QPU integration is therefore both a near-term enabler and a foundation for future hybrid quantum-classical computing systems.

Quandela will present these results at ISC High Performance 2026 in Hamburg on 23 June 2026.

About Quandela

Quandela is a global leader in quantum computing, designing, building, and delivering cutting-edge quantum solutions for research and industry. Its offerings include the most energy-efficient quantum computers for data centers, full-stack quantum computing solutions accessible via the cloud, and algorithm access services for academic and industrial customers. Following a pragmatic, step-by-step roadmap, Quandela has been deploying industrial-grade systems since 2023 while developing future generations of fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of scaling through the integration of thousands of photonic components. Quandela is committed to making quantum computing accessible to all in order to address the most complex industrial and societal challenges.

Learn more at: Quandela | Leading Photonic Quantum Computing Solutions

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Quandela and Qatar’s Mekdam Holding Group Partner to Accelerate the Deployment of Quantum Computing Across the Gulf Region

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Paris, June 18th, 2026 – Signed this Thursday during Vision Golfe – the Franco-Gulf economic forum organized by Business France under the high patronage of the French President, at the Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty – this partnership marks Mekdam’s entry into quantum computing and strengthens Quandela’s presence in Qatar and strategic Middle Eastern markets.

Quandela, a European leader in photonic quantum computing, and Mekdam Holding Group (QSE: MKDM), a Qatari technology group listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this Thursday at the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, as part of Vision Golfe. The agreement aims to explore and deploy quantum computing solutions for Gulf markets, positioning both partners among the first organizations to introduce this technology to the region.

This partnership is fully aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the major national strategies for digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence being implemented across Gulf countries.

From left to right: Bara’ Sami, General Group Manager of Mekdam Holding Group, and Xavier Pereira, Chief Growth Officer at Quandela, during the signing ceremony held this Thursday at the French Ministry of the Economy.

Complementary Expertise for a Strategic Market

Mekdam Holding Group, the first publicly listed technology group in Qatar, has demonstrated sustained growth, with revenues reaching QAR 681.1 million (approximately €161 million), an increase of more than 20% in 2025, and an order backlog of QAR 3.1 billion (€734 million). Active in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, IoT, data infrastructure and smart systems, the Group has identified quantum computing as a strategic pillar of its development in emerging technologies.

Quandela brings world-class expertise in photonic quantum computing, fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC), and quantum machine learning (QML).

Together, the two partners intend to identify and develop high-value use cases for the region’s priority sectors: energy, government, critical infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

Toward a Regional Quantum Ecosystem

Beyond immediate applications, the partnership aims to build a sustainable ecosystem through cloud access to Quandela’s photonic quantum computers, local skills development, training and certification programs, and the creation of a Quandela–Mekdam Quantum Center of Excellence serving countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

This ambition aligns with various government-led initiatives across the region, including Qatar National Vision 2030, Saudi Vision 2030, and the UAE National Quantum Strategy.

“Based in Doha and a leading technology player in the Middle East, Mekdam enables us to accelerate our development in a dynamic, innovative, and strategically important region for the future of quantum computing. It is a strong asset in supporting Quandela’s global ambitions,” says Xavier Pereira, Chief Growth Officer at Quandela.

“This partnership marks Mekdam’s entry into quantum computing and reflects our ambition to become a leading player in the field across the region. Together with Quandela, we aim to deliver high-value use cases for the Gulf’s strategic sectors and build a strong local skills ecosystem, fully aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030,” says Bara’ Sami, General Group Manager of Mekdam Holding Group.

About Quandela 

Quandela is a global leader in quantum computing, designing, building, and delivering cutting-edge quantum solutions for research and industry. Its offerings include the most energy-efficient quantum computers for data centers, full-stack quantum computing solutions accessible via the cloud, and algorithm access services for academic and industrial customers. Following a pragmatic, step-by-step roadmap, Quandela has been deploying industrial-grade systems since 2023 while developing future generations of fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of scaling through the integration of thousands of photonic components. Quandela is committed to making quantum computing accessible to all in order to address the most complex industrial and societal challenges.
Learn more at www.quandela.com

About Mekdam Holding Group (Q.P.S.C.)

Mekdam Holding Group Q.P.S.C. (QSE: MKDM) is a publicly listed Qatari technology and services group headquartered in Doha, and a pioneer among Qatari technology companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange. Founded in 2018, Mekdam has grown into one of Qatar’s leading technology groups, delivering 21.9% year-on-year revenue growth in FY2025, with contracts under execution valued at QAR 3.1 billion.

Through its specialized subsidiaries — Mekdam Technology, Mekdam Software Services, Mekdam Technology Solutions, Mekdam Technical Services, and Mekdam CAMS — the Group delivers across artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, ICT, data-center, smart infrastructure, and security systems. Mekdam serves clients across government, energy, ICT and critical infrastructure, healthcare, and education, supporting large-scale digital transformation. The Group is now extending its capability beyond Qatar, scaling its technology and emerging-technology businesses across the wider Gulf.

Aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030, Mekdam has identified quantum computing as a strategic capability pillar — already part of its emerging-technology portfolio. This partnership with Quandela advances that commitment from foundational capability to active execution, positioning Mekdam among the region’s first movers in bringing quantum technology to market.

Headquarters: Doha, Qatar
Founded: 2018
Stock Exchange: Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE: MKDM)
Core Activities: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud, Cybersecurity, IoT, ICT, Data-Center, Smart Infrastructure, and Security Systems.

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DARPA Selects Quandela for Stage A of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative

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Quandela’s spin-photon quantum computing architecture advances into DARPA program evaluating utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum systems

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 16, 2026 — Quandela today announced it has been selected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to participate in Stage A of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, a multi-stage program designed to assess whether any quantum computing architecture can achieve utility-scale operation by 2033.

Under Stage A, Quandela will present a detailed concept for a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, along with technical evidence supporting its near-term feasibility. Within DARPA’s framework, utility-scale refers to systems whose computational value exceeds their cost.
The QBI program is intended to rigorously evaluate approaches to practical quantum computing and provide government with a clearer basis for assessing which technologies can realistically scale.

“Selection for Stage A of the QBI program reflects the progress and maturity of our approach,” said Yoni Elmalem, General Manager of Quandela Federal. “It highlights the growing relevance of photonic and spin-photon hybrid architectures in addressing the requirements for scalable, fault-tolerant quantum systems. Our focus is on translating validated scientific principles into engineering pathways that can support practical deployment.”

Quandela is developing a spin-photon quantum computing architecture that combines the natural connectivity and modularity advantages of photons with the high-speed logic operations and resource efficiency of semiconductor spin-based technologies. The company believes this approach can enable modular, high-performance quantum systems designed for scalability.

“QBI establishes a structured framework for evaluating quantum computing approaches against clear performance and scalability criteria,” said Niccolo Somaschi, CEO of Quandela. “This aligns closely with our engineering methodology, which emphasizes measurable progress, architectural clarity and system-level scalability from the outset.”

Companies that successfully complete Stage A may advance to subsequent QBI phases focused on research and development planning, risk reduction, and independent validation of system performance.

About Quandela

Quandela is a global quantum computing company that designs, builds and delivers quantum solutions for research and industry. Its offerings include energy-efficient quantum computers for data centers, full-stack quantum computing solutions accessible through the cloud, and quantum algorithm services for academic and industrial customers. Quandela’s mission is to make quantum computing accessible in order to address complex industrial and societal challenges.

For more information, visit: www.quandela.com

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