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Neutral AtomEst. 2019Palaiseau, France

Pasqal

Pasqal

“Neutral atoms, made in France.”

French neutral-atom company arranging hundreds of atoms into programmable geometries for real industrial pilots.

Cofounded by a Nobel Laureate

Alain Aspect, 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, is one of Pasqal's cofounders.

Led by Georges-Olivier Reymond (CEO)
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The Story

Timeline.

2019

Spun out of Institut d'Optique — cofounded by 2022 Nobel laureate Alain Aspect.

2022

Ships its first 100-qubit analog machine to industrial customers.

2023

Merges with Qu&Co to combine hardware with quantum algorithms software.

2024

Deploys a machine at CINECA in Italy — one of Europe's first on-premise quantum systems.

What makes them different

Key Facts

  • Uses rubidium atoms with Rydberg interactions to program geometries directly.
  • Ships machines to customer data centers, not just to the cloud.
  • Strong support from the French and European quantum sovereignty programs.
  • Bets on analog quantum computing for near-term industrial value.

Real-world pilots

Quantum Uses Today

  • Utilities pilots with EDF for smart-grid optimization.
  • Chemistry and materials research with BASF and Johnson Matthey.
  • Government-backed research across Europe.

If they succeed

Potential Applications

  • Materials science simulation for energy transition.
  • Optimization for critical national infrastructure.
  • Quantum machine learning on graph-structured data.
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