CEA and Alice & Bob to build quantum-classical software for supercomputers

France's state Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and quantum computing startup Alice & Bob said on Thursday they will collaborate on software that allows quantum processors to work alongside classical supercomputers, with materials physics as the first area of application.

The partnership will focus on improving Qaptiva, a software platform developed by the state-owned supercomputer manufacturer Bull. Executives at both organisations said the goal is to offer an alternative to Nvidia's CUDA-Q and to avoid the kind of software bottleneck that CUDA has created in artificial intelligence.

The technical approach is to divide a computational problem between the two types of machine, assigning to the quantum processor only those portions where it may eventually deliver an advantage, while conventional supercomputers handle the rest.

The CEA, a research centre with an annual budget of close to €6 billion ($6.9 billion) that also oversees France's nuclear deterrent, said the programme is intended to strengthen the domestic quantum sector. Under the plan, the agency will act as an early customer for French startups and give them access to its computing facilities.

The agency has already installed quantum computers from French companies Quandela and Pasqal next to its classical supercomputer, and will add a machine from Alice & Bob in 2027.