Pasqal leads the €50m Q-PLANET project to make chip parts for neutral atom quantum tech

[Thomas]

Pasqal is coordinating Q-PLANET, a three year, 50 million euro pilot line for industrial grade chip components used in neutral atom quantum technology, The Quantum Insider reports. Funding comes from the EU Chips Joint Undertaking along with national and regional authorities. The consortium has 28 partners in 11 European countries. It is another sign of Europe trying to build its own quantum supply chain

The project will develop lasers at four specific wavelengths, 461, 698, 795 and 1013 nanometres, along with atom chips for sensing and computing and microfabricated vapour cells for atomic clocks and field sensors. Pasqal leads the work on 1013 nm chip based lasers. It is also an end user of the vapour cells and lasers, setting top level specifications and helping with testing

Q-PLANET will produce standard Process Design Kits and Assembly Design Kits, which are toolkits that let other companies design products using the same manufacturing process. That could make it much easier for startups to build neutral atom devices without developing every component from scratch. The project will also assess energy efficiency across the production cycle

Chief technology officer Loïc Henriet said: "Three months after our kick-off in Brussels, Q-PLANET has moved from ambition to execution." Pasqal presents the project as aligned with the upcoming EU Quantum Act and as a flagship of the European Quantum Strategy. Combined with Germany's 640 million euro competition and planqc's growth, European neutral atom technology is getting serious backing

Can Europe build a quantum supply chain that does not depend on the US or Asia? And are shared design kits the key to growing a quantum industry?

Pasqal Leads €50 Million Q-PLANET Project for Neutral-Atom Quantum Technologythequantuminsider.com

[CMPunk50]

Pasqal has had a busy year. Big funding, logical qubit results and now leading an EU pilot line

They are becoming one of Europe's key players. Their logical qubit result in May was a real milestone for neutral atoms

[Undertaker00]

Twenty eight partners in 11 countries sounds like a lot of coordination. EU projects can get bogged down in paperwork. Hopefully the pilot line delivers real components. The best EU projects have clear leaders. Pasqal being in charge should help

[Zatanna]

Europe can build parts of the supply chain, but complete independence is unrealistic. Some components will always come from elsewhere. Resilience matters more than total independence. Having a second source for key parts is the realistic goal

[Dark Hermit]

Energy efficiency being part of the project is a nice touch. Quantum systems are not as power hungry as AI data centres, but cooling and lasers still add up

It is also a sign of how mature the planning is. Thinking about energy now avoids problems later

[Urban Phoebe]

Lasers at specific wavelengths are the unglamorous backbone of neutral atom machines. Every atom species needs its own colours. Making them on chips would cut size and cost hugely

Strontium, rubidium and ytterbium all need different lasers. Getting them onto chips is a huge engineering challenge