Pasqal has announced that its quantum computer based on neutral atoms has become available through Microsoft’s Azure Quantum cloud infrastructure, allowing research organizations and interested businesses to experiment with quantum computing without a large upfront investment.
The Pasqal quantum platform uses neutral atoms to form qubits. Such atoms have no electrical charge, so they interact weakly with external electromagnetic fields, which improves stability.
Image source: Pasqal
Each qubit in Pasqal is implemented using a single neutral atom, whose electronic energy levels correspond to the logical 0 and 1. The atoms are captured and manipulated using a laser, allowing high-precision quantum operations to be performed. The Pasqal quantum computer can operate at room temperature, which sets it apart from other machines that require extreme cooling to operate.
There is no information on how many qubits are used in the Pasqal system in Microsoft Azure Quantum. However, it is noted that the solution based on neutral atoms has good scalability and high energy efficiency.
Pasqal was founded in 2019 by the Institut d’Optique in France. Its co-founders include Professor Alain Aspect, a French physicist specializing in quantum optics and quantum entanglement. He is the 2022 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics for his experiments with entangled photons. To date, Pasqal has raised over €140 million in funding.