Alice & Bob to build $50 million advanced quantum laboratory in Paris

Alice & Bob, the quantum computing start-up co-founded and headed by Théau Peronnin (X2012), has announced that it is investing $50 million (€40 million) to build a new quantum laboratory near Paris, where the company already has two labs.

Designed to be one of the most advanced QPU (Quantum Processing Unit) development facilities in Europe, the new lab will enable Alice & Bob to develop its next series of quantum chips: Lithium, Beryllium and Graphene.

This 4,000 m2 product development center is financed by the company's recent $103 million fundraising. The facility is designed to house a nanofabrication cleanroom for prototyping advanced quantum chips.

Their design will draw on technologies from two technology suppliers. Quantum Machines will provide control solutions for experimentation. Bluefors will supply 20 dilution refrigerators for a cryostat farm. The farm is reserved for the installation of the company's large-scale quantum computer.

Graphene is the name of the 100-logic qubit quantum computer that Alice & Bob plans to bring to market in 2030. Alice & Bob's new lab will enable the company to transform its quantum chips, powered by proprietary cat qubit technology, into market-ready products, the startup says.

“Our state-of-the-art product development lab will be the cornerstone of France's quantum infrastructure and serve as a model for the creation of industrial-scale technologies in Europe,” said Théau Peronnin, in a statement.

Alice & Bob is one of the most prominent start-ups in the French quantum ecosystem. The start-up is one of five French players selected by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, which oversees the École Polytechnique, as part of a program designed to equip France with two French-designed quantum computer prototypes by 2032, with 128 logical qubits of power. Alice&Bob is competing with Pasqal, Quandela, Qobly (ex-Siquance) and C12 in this program.