Quandela Joins Canada’s Quantum Computing Sandbox

Quandela, a French photonic firm, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CMC Microsystems. This agreement will provide cloud access to Quandela’s Canada-based quantum computer via the Quantum Computing Sandbox program. The partnership expands the program’s roster of providers, serving small businesses, organizations, and academic researchers in Canada.

Agreement Particulars

According to the September 3 press release, the MoU designates Quandela as a cloud provider within the Quantum Computing Sandbox (QCS), which operates under FABriC. FABriC is funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and CMC Microsystems, a non-profit, manages it on behalf of the federal government. QCS offers technical support and research grants to assist Canadian sectors in developing quantum applications.

Under this agreement, participants who receive QCS grants will be able to utilize Quandela’s platform, hosted in Canada, for their projects. Both Quandela and CMC will also provide technical and practical assistance to selected projects. CMC is responsible for selecting companies that qualify for grants. Per the press release, the two organizations had an existing working relationship prior to this signing.

Quandela identifies itself as a photonic quantum computing company, offering modular systems both through the cloud and on-premise, in addition to a simulator named Perceval. The company didn’t disclose the qubit count, photon number, error rates, or any performance figures for the machine now available through QCS. Without these specifications, it isn’t possible to assess the hardware’s actual capabilities.

Emphasizing Data Sovereignty

Quandela’s primary selling point is data location. Valérian Giesz, co-founder and director of strategic partnerships at Quandela, stated in the release:

“As data sovereignty in the digital realm becomes an increasingly important issue given the current global context, we are proud to be the first to include a Canada-based photonic quantum computer among the cloud computing options available to the participants of the QCS program. This will allow their work and data to be entirely hosted on Canadian soil, without having to go through a structure located in another country.”

Quandela’s claim of being the “first to include a Canada-based photonic quantum computer” is specific enough that it may be accurate, though it remains a vendor statement. Photonic quantum computers are still in early development across the field. Though joining a sandbox provides researchers with access, it doesn’t confirm that useful computations have been performed. The outcomes of QCS projects will ultimately determine whether the platform offers more than just theoretical potential.