Insider Brief
- Pasqal is coordinating Q-PLANET, a €50 million, three-year European pilot line focused on industrial-grade chip components for neutral-atom quantum technologies.
- The consortium includes 28 partners from 11 European countries and will develop lasers, atom chips, microfabricated vapor cells, and manufacturing design kits.
- Pasqal will lead development of 1013 nm chip-based laser sources and support testing and validation of components for quantum computing, sensing, and communications.
PRESS RELEASE — Pasqal (NASDAQ: PSQL), a global leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, is coordinating the implementation of Q-PLANET (Quantum Pilot Line for production of Advanced chips for Neutral atom European Technologies), co-funded by the EU Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) and National/Regional authorities. Backed by €50 million over three years, the consortium brings together 28 partners from 11 European countries to develop industrial-grade chip components for neutral-atom quantum computing, sensing, and communication.
A Concrete Commitment to Europe’s Quantum Industrial Ambitions and Strategic Autonomy
Pasqal ’s leadership of Q-PLANET reflects the company’s concrete commitment to the European Union’s industrial quantum ambitions, in line with the upcoming EU Quantum Act. Through Q-PLANET, Pasqal is delivering one of the flagship initiatives of the European Quantum Strategy, aimed at supporting the large-scale industrialization of quantum technologies across the European Union.
Through this pan-European collaborative effort, Q-PLANET will help establish the foundations for a resilient, state-of-the-art European quantum supply chain, strengthening the broader resilience and strategic autonomy of the European Union, while reinforcing its global competitiveness in quantum technologies.
Over the next three years, the consortium will develop critical industrial-grade chip-based components for neutral-atom quantum technologies, including lasers at four key wavelengths (461 nm, 698 nm, 795 nm and 1013 nm), atom chips for quantum sensing and computing, and microfabricated vapor cells for atomic clocks and field sensors. Q-PLANET will also establish a pathway from laboratory research to industrial fabrication through the development of standardized Process Design Kits (PDKs) and Assembly Design Kits (ADKs), alongside energy-efficiency monitoring assessment across the production cycle of quantum technologies. Within this effort, Pasqal will notably lead the development activities dedicated to chip-based laser sources at 1013nm, one of the project’s core technology streams. Pasqal will also act as an end-user of the microfabricated vapor cells and laser sources, providing top-level specifications for their development, testing and validation.
Strengthening Europe’s Neutral-atom Ecosystem & Building a European Quantum Market around User Needs
Under Pasqal ’s leadership, Q-PLANET will strengthen the European industrial and scientific neutral-atom ecosystem by bringing together leading research and technology organizations, industry partners and academic research groups. With 28 partners from 11 European countries, the consortium will foster synergies and partnerships across academia and industry, helping connect scientific research, industrial capabilities and the development of real-world quantum applications.
Q-PLANET will also contribute to the development of a European quantum market by addressing the needs of European users. Through advancements in quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communications, the pilot line will help lay the foundations for future quantum use case applications in sectors where societal, economic and scientific interests are particularly strong, including drug discovery and materials discovery. By connecting advances in quantum hardware and manufacturing with concrete application requirements, Q-PLANET will help bring European quantum technologies closer to practical deployment and adoption.
“Three months after our kick-off in Brussels, Q-PLANET has moved from ambition to execution. Together with our 28 partners, we are building a European supply chain for neutral-atom technologies, while bringing quantum industrialization closer to concrete user needs,” said Loïc Henriet, CTO of Pasqal . “Q-PLANET reflects Pasqal’s commitment to Europe’s quantum ambitions, bridging large-scale industrialization rooted in resilient capabilities with real-world application to build a globally competitive and resilient European quantum industry.”