KAIST, KRISS, and Quandela Sign Tripartite MOU for Photonic Quantum Computing in Korea

Roubaix – April 17th 2026 – At the Quantum Defence Summit, OVHcloud, a global cloud player and the European cloud leader, and Quandela announce the availability of the Belenos computer on OVHcloud’s Quantum platform.

Unveiled last autumn, the OVHcloud Quantum Platform makes quantum computing, a breakthrough technology, more accessible through a Quantum-as-a-Service (QaaS) consumption model. With the addition of Belenos, OVHcloud continues to deploy its ambitious roadmap of quantum computers accessible through the cloud.  

Quandela Belenos leverages photonic quantum technology to offer a compute power of 12 qubits. It helps organisations to experiment with new algorithms in innovative domains such as image sorting and generation, accelerated AI calculus, or quantum machine learning (QML). New use cases in the fields of electromagnetic simulation, structural mechanics, engine combustion, material simulation, meteorology, and earth observation also benefit from the advances in quantum computing. 

Supporting the European quantum ecosystem since 2022, the Group offers the widest range of quantum emulators leveraging its infrastructures with over a thousand users. With 15 affordable quantum emulators (including Perceval and MerLin) starting at 0.03 euros per hour, the Group helps users to grow their familiarity with different quantum computing models.  

“We are delighted to deliver on the promise of the Quantum Platform by adding a second reference quantum computer, Belenos from the French company Quandela. The quantum revolution accelerates and OVHcloud is taking its part as the European Cloud leader within the ecosystem,”

said Miroslaw Klaba, R&D Director OVHcloud. 

The OVHcloud Quantum Platform gives access to full-fledged quantum computers, to support the acceleration and growing adoption of quantum computing within private organisations. The Belenos QPU is offered in a “as-a-service” mode and benefits from a pay-as-you-go billing with billing per second without commitment.

“The integration of Belenos 12 qubits into the OVHcloud portfolio marks a decisive step for quantum in Europe. Accessible through the cloud, this photonic computer becomes a concrete tool for businesses. With OVHcloud we are offering data scientists and innovators alike the mean to develop their algorithms on a flexible and sovereign infrastructure”

said Niccolò Somaschi, CEO and co-founder Quandela.  

About OVHcloud 

OVHcloud is a global cloud player and the leading European cloud provider operating over 500,000 servers within 46 data centers across 4 continents to reach 1,6 million customers in over 140 countries. Spearheading a trusted cloud and pioneering a sustainable cloud with the best performance-price ratio, the Group has been leveraging for over 20 years an integrated model that guarantees total control of its value chain: from the design of its servers to the construction and management of its data centers, including the orchestration of its fiber-optic network. This unique approach enables OVHcloud to independently cover all the uses of its customers so they can seize the benefits of an environmentally conscious model with a frugal use of resources and a carbon footprint reaching the best ratios in the industry. OVHcloud now offers customers the latest-generation solutions combining performance, predictable pricing, and complete data sovereignty to support their unfettered growth. 

About Quandela 

Quandela is a leading quantum computing company that designs, builds, and delivers cutting-edge quantum solutions for industry: ready-to-use quantum computers for data centres, cloud-accessible quantum processors, and algorithm access services for industrial clients. Quandela is committed to making quantum computing accessible to all in order to address the most complex industrial and societal challenges.

Contact- Media Relations

• Iva Baytcheva, iva.baytcheva@maarc.fr +33(0)6.28.59.07.03
• Charles Courbet, charles.courbet@maarc.fr +33(0)6.28.93.03.06

Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, and Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for Investment, today inaugurated the Lucy quantum computer. Procured by EuroHPC through GENCI as part of the EuroQCS-France consortium, and co-funded under France 2030’s national quantum strategy, it is hosted at CEA’s Très Grand Centre de Calcul (TGCC). Based on photonic technology developed by Quandela, with cryogenic systems supplied by its German partner Attocube, this new machine is the most powerful of its kind, marking a decisive milestone for the European ecosystem. Coupled with the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, Lucy is now freely accessible to research and industry stakeholders to tackle major scientific challenges.

Bruyères-le-Châtel, 14th April 2026 – Lucy, inaugurated today by Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, is the world’s most powerful quantum computer based on photonic technology. It is now coupled with the GENCI Joliot-Curie¹ supercomputer, hosted and operated by the CEA at the TGCC. This hybrid “HPC-Quantum” architecture combines the computing power of classical high-performance computing with quantum processors, which function as accelerators to solve complex problems. This hybrid approach is central to Europe’s strategy to explore the potential of quantum computing. The system is now freely available to European academic and industrial users, who can submit research projects spanning logistics optimisation, machine learning, materials simulation, and the discovery of therapeutic molecules.

A sovereign quantum capacity at the heart of TGCC

Lucy is built by the Franco-European consortium formed by Quandela and Attocube, illustrating a strategic Franco-German industrial collaboration for the European quantum sector. Produced at Quandela’s facilities in Massy, near Paris, it expands the existing range of computing resources available at TGCC. Procured by EuroHPC Joint Undertaking as part of the EuroQCS-France consortium via GENCI, the system is based exclusively on European technological components. Its deployment under France’s national quantum strategy (HQI programme, France 2030) highlights the dynamism and expertise of French stakeholders while while supporting the competitiveness of the European ecosystem.

Photonics: a credible path to industrial deployment

Photonic technology, which uses light as the carrier of quantum information, is considered one of the most promising approaches for scaling quantum systems to industrial use. Unlike architectures that require processors to operate at temperatures close to absolute zero, photonics enables easier manipulation of qubits and smoother integration into existing data centre infrastructures.

Anne-Isabelle Étienvre, Chairwoman of the CEA:

“With Lucy, CEA is turning its long-standing commitment to quantum technologies into concrete reality. From pioneering work on early qubit development within our fundamental research teams — recognised at the highest level in recent years — to the deployment of advanced systems at TGCC, we are demonstrating the strength of an integrated research-to-operations model. This continuity allows us to turn scientific breakthroughs into sovereign industrial capabilities. Lucy is now available to our researchers, as well as to the wider European scientific and industrial community, to help push the boundaries of computing.”

Michaël Krajecki, CEO of GENCI:

“With Lucy, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, CEA and GENCI are delivering a unique sovereign hybrid quantum computing capability to European and French scientific and industrial communities. Freely available, Lucy is a pioneering sovereign resource for research and innovation. Powered by photonic technology from Quandela and hosted at TGCC, it brings the industrial scaling of the quantum era closer than ever. This is a major milestone for France and for Europe.”

Niccolo Somaschi, co-foudner and CEO of Quandela:

“With Lucy, we are reaching a major milestone in the industrialization of photonic quantum computing in Europe. Its installation at the TGCC and coupling with the Joliot-Curie supercomputer provide concrete evidence of our ambition: to bring about a sovereign, high-performance quantum capability that is accessible to both researchers and industry. This project is also the result of close cooperation with our German partner attocube, and fully embodies the Franco-German partnership in support of European technological sovereignty. This inauguration shows that cutting-edge quantum technologies designed and manufactured in Europe can already be integrated into the most advanced computing infrastructures to address high-impact scientific and industrial use cases.”

Anders Dam Jensen, Executive Director of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking:

“Lucy is the fourth EuroHPC quantum computer to be inaugurated. It brings new quantum capabilities to Europe’s supercomputing ecosystem and marks another important milestone for our technological sovereignty. By bringing together quantum and high-performance computing, EuroHPC JU is enabling researchers and industry to tackle complex challenges and unlock new opportunities for innovation across strategic sectors.”

1. Replaced in 2027 by Alice Recoque, the European exascale supercomputer that will combine HPC, AI, and quantum technologies for the academic and industrial communities.

About CEA

CEA is a public research organisation in France. It supports public decision-making and provides French and European companies, as well as public authorities, with scientific and technological capabilities to address four major societal transitions: energy, digital transformation, future healthcare, and defence and security. Its mission is to help ensure French and European leadership in science, technology and industry, while contributing to a safer, more controlled present and future for all. For more information: http://www.cea.fr

About GENCI

GENCI (Grand Équipement National de Calcul Intensif) was created by the French government in 2007. It is a major research infrastructure and public operator dedicated to democratising access to numerical simulation through high-performance computing (HPC), combined with artificial intelligence and emerging quantum computing technologies, in order to strengthen French scientific and industrial competitiveness.

GENCI pursues three main missions:

• Implement the national strategy for high-performance computing, data storage and processing infrastructure, including AI and future quantum computing technologies, in support of open scientific research in France and Europe, relying on the country’s three national computing centres;
• Support the development of an integrated national and European ecosystem;
• Promote numerical simulation and high-performance computing among academic and industrial research teams engaged in open science.

GENCI is a civil company owned 49% by the French State (represented by the Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Space), 20% by CEA, 20% by CNRS, 10% by French universities represented by France Universités, and 1% by Inria.

About Quandela

Quandela is a leading quantum computing company that designs, builds, and delivers cutting-edge quantum solutions for industry: ready-to-use quantum computers for data centres, cloud-accessible quantum processors, and algorithm access services for industrial clients. Quandela is committed to making quantum computing accessible to all in order to address the most complex industrial and societal challenges. Discover our vision at www.quandela.com

Seoul, South Korea — April 3, 2026 — Quandela and Seoul National University’s Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center (ISRC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance semiconductor-process-based quantum computing through an integrated end-to-end pipeline covering design, fabrication, and testing. The collaboration directly connects photonic quantum technologies with Korea’s semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure to accelerate the production of deployable quantum hardware and strengthen applied talent development.

Seoul National University’s Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center (ISRC) and Quandela have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly develop semiconductor-process-compatible photonic quantum computing systems and advance industrial-scale quantum hardware engineering.

Through this agreement with Quandela, SNU plans to further strengthen collaboration on a structured end-to-end pipeline within its semiconductor facilities, covering device design, semiconductor fabrication, and system-level validation. By integrating advanced semiconductor infrastructure with photonic quantum technologies, the collaboration is focused on accelerating the transition from laboratory-scale components to deployable quantum systems.

Engineering Scope of Work

The partnership focuses on engineering-driven execution across three core areas:

• Co-development of quantum devices and systems using semiconductor fabrication processes
• Integration of photonic quantum technologies into standard semiconductor manufacturing workflows
• Joint training programs, internships, and applied research initiatives to develop quantum engineering talent
• Access to fabrication and testing environments to support iterative hardware development and validation

From Lab Systems to Deployable Hardware

This collaboration is designed to operationalize photonic quantum computing within existing semiconductor infrastructure. It enables reproducible hardware development workflows, strengthens system integration capabilities, and accelerates the path from component-level research to deployable quantum systems.

By aligning photonic quantum architectures with semiconductor manufacturing processes, the partnership establishes a practical framework for scaling quantum hardware production.

The SNU ISRC–Quandela agreement establishes a concrete engineering pathway for semiconductor-based quantum hardware development. By directly linking photonic quantum computing with advanced fabrication capabilities, the collaboration shifts quantum development from experimental research toward deployable system engineering and industrial readiness.

About SNU:

Seoul National University (SNU) is one of Asia’s leading research universities, recognized globally for excellence in science, engineering, and technology innovation. Through its Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center (ISRC), SNU operates advanced semiconductor fabrication and research facilities that support collaborative industry–academic development. The university plays a central role in advancing South Korea’s semiconductor ecosystem while fostering the next generation of researchers and engineers in emerging fields, including quantum technologies.

About Quandela

Quandela develops and deploys photonic quantum computers designed for real-world environments, with room-temperature operation, data-center compatibility, and a full software stack for programming and running workloads via cloud and on-prem access. Beyond hardware, Quandela works with corporations, research teams, and public institutions to identify, prototype, and integrate quantum use cases through training, technical support, and joint pilot projects. Founded in Europe, Quandela pursues a progressive path from usable systems to fault-tolerant quantum computing.