Welinq and Pasqal Accelerate Networked Quantum Computing with Neutral-Atom Technology

Welinq and Pasqal announce the strengthening of their strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of networked quantum computing based on interconnected neutral-atom quantum processors.

Building on an established collaboration and a shared neutral-atom technology stack, the two companies are now moving into a new phase of rapid implementation, tightly aligning quantum computing and quantum networking to deliver scalable, network-ready quantum architectures designed for deployment in data centers. This collaboration reaches a new milestone with InterQo, a €4 million, supported by the Île-de-France Region and BPI France through the i-Demo Régionalisé (France 2030) call. The project includes a bilateral industrial partnership between Pasqal and Welinq, alongside a dedicated research collaboration led by Pasqal with the group of Alexei Ourjoumtsev at Collège de France (JEIP), a leading expert in quantum optics and strong light–matter interactions.  

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From Individual Machines to Networked Quantum Computers

Early deployments of quantum computing resources generally depend on standalone quantum processing units (QPUs). While these machines are already demonstrating practical utility and delivering value, scaling capacity will ultimately encounter practical limits.

By allowing separate quantum processors to function as a single, more powerful computer, quantum networking fundamentally shifts how quantum resources can be deployed and scaled. In practice, quantum information is converted from qubits inside a QPU into photons - the ideal carriers of flying quantum information - and transmitted optically between processors. This optical quantum interconnect enables entanglement to be shared between qubits located on different QPUs, effectively creating a larger quantum computer with many more qubits than any individual machine could provide.  

This collective operation would enable quantum computing to scale beyond the vertical scalability barriers of individual processors, currently around 10,000 physical qubits for neutral-atom systems. By networking multiple QPUs, the architecture can enable more complex quantum algorithms and support the development of large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computation.  

Neutral-Atom Technologies Aligned from Computing to Networking

Pasqal and Welinq independently develop neutral-atom technologies that are natively compatible, from quantum computing to quantum networking, operating at the same optical wavelengths.  

Pasqal has established itself as an industrial leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, operating two quantum manufacturing facilities in France and Canada. The company has deployed operational QPUs at major HPC centers across Europe, including CEA and Jülich, with CINECA following, as well as QPUs in Saudi Arabia and Canada. On the technology side, Pasqal is building QPU architectures which are natively compatible to work in networked configurations. This includes vacuum chamber designs that can physically integrate photonic interfaces while maintaining pristine conditions QPUs require, as well as dynamical qubit positioning, that enables flexible interface – qubit coupling for multiplexed interconnection.  

Welinq develops cutting-edge quantum networking solutions designed to interconnect quantum processors at high rates. Its core innovation is a high-rate entanglement generation platform based on waveguide-QED, acting as a “quantum Ethernet port” that allows quantum processors to be directly networked and to share entanglement between them. As part of this full-stack networking approach, Welinq has also demonstrated the most powerful neutral atom–based quantum memory to date and recently announced its first commercial sale, translating laboratory breakthroughs into deployable components for data center environments.

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This alignment supports a coherent approach to building quantum computer clusters that can be deployed in data centers. It also aligns with broader industrial initiatives such as Q-PLANET, a Pasqal-led European program to structure and scale the quantum technology supply chain, supported by Welinq as a partner. Together with long-standing collaborations with industrial partners such as Exail for advanced laser technologies, these initiatives establish a solid industrial foundation for quantum technologies and strengthen Europe’s position in the global quantum landscape.

InterQo: A Concrete Milestone Backed by the Paris Region

This strategic alignment now moves into concrete execution through InterQo.

"Quantum networking represents a promising pathway toward large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing," said Loïc Henriet, CEO of Pasqal. "While we have operational QPUs deployed worldwide today, one next major scaling challenge will be connecting individual processors into networked quantum clusters. Our collaboration with Welinq through the InterQo program lays essential groundwork for this transition.”

InterQo represents a concrete step in realizing this vision. The project brings together Pasqal, Welinq, and the Collège de France in a joint research and industrial collaboration. Supported by €4 million from the Île-de-France Region and BPI France through the France 2030 program (i-Demo Régionalisé call), the work focuses on two critical challenges: designing QPUs with built-in networking capabilities and integrating efficient photon extraction systems to connect them. This effort accelerates the convergence of proven technologies toward a fully operational, network-ready quantum processor.

“Welinq is delighted to continue its successful collaboration with Pasqal,” said Tom Darras, CEO of Welinq. “By bringing neutral-atom computing and quantum networking together, we are moving another step closer to the deployment and commercialization of interconnected quantum computers within data center environments, worldwide”

Toward Production-Ready Networked Quantum Systems

This partnership positions Pasqal and Welinq to deliver networked quantum systems that integrate into existing data center infrastructure. Beyond technical milestones, this collaboration strengthens Europe's quantum ecosystem by combining industrial deployment expertise with breakthrough networking capabilities, both developed on European soil.  As quantum computing will advance toward networked, production-scale systems, the Pasqal–Welinq partnership is set to mark a key milestone, delivering the critical infrastructure required for next-generation quantum data centers, while establishing technological leadership and generating high-value employment across the French and European quantum ecosystem.

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