France's quantum strategy: €170 million investment to launch national quantum computing platform

On January 4, France's Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Frédérique Vidal, and Secretary of State for Digital Transformation and Electronic Communications Cédric O announced the launch of the "National Platform for Quantum Computing", in the presence of Secretary-General for Investment Guillaume Boudy. Boudy was present at the meeting.

This announcement is fully in line with the national strategy for quantum technologies launched by the French President on January 21, 2021, and defines quantum as a major challenge to France's strategic sovereignty and superiority. The strategy will invest 1.8 billion euros between 2021 and 2025, of which 1 billion euros will be provided by the State. The allocation is implemented mainly through the Future Investment Program (PIA) for quantum technology development. It aims to create 16,000 jobs in the sector by 2030.
 
The French government believes that when quantum computing is fully mature, it can perform certain calculations a billion times faster than traditional computing technologies (including current supercomputer technology), paving the way for solutions to a range of problems currently beyond human reach.
 
Over the next two decades, quantum computing could spark technological revolutions and major advances in many critically important areas in both the civilian and military sectors, such as Earth observation and natural disaster prediction. for modeling infectious agents and finding appropriate medical remedies; better understanding of photosynthesis to better harness solar energy and capture atmospheric CO2.

The French National Platform for Quantum Computing has an initial investment of 70 million euros, with a total goal of 170 million euros, to create hybrid computing platforms interconnecting classical systems and quantum computers. These resources will be made available to an international quantum community that brings together laboratories, startups, and manufacturers. The aim is to help ecological players gain access to quantum computing capabilities so that they can discover, develop and test new use cases.
 
The platform was created by the French National Institute for Information and Automation (INRIA), the French Atomic and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA), and the French National Center for Large-Scale Computing (GENCI), in close collaboration with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and will be hosted at the Very Large Computing Center (TGCC) located at the CEA.
 
France is also particularly interested in the military use of quantum computing. They believe that quantum technology can be a tool for strategic advantage at the military level. While quantum sensors are a particularly studied field of application, especially in order to achieve unparalleled accuracy in measuring time, gravity, or magnetic fields, quantum computing can be used to accurately simulate physical phenomena or the processing of large amounts of data by solving complex computational problems and finely modeling new systems.

With the National Quantum Computing Platform, the French Armed Forces and the entire community involved in defense applications will be able to develop true quantum technologies that will strengthen the French military's edge in future battles. The launch of this hybrid computing platform is a key step for France to consolidate its quantum ecosystem and leverage its strengths in this field.

Paper Link: https://www.gouvernement.fr/france-2030-strategie-quantique-lancement-d-une-plateforme-nationale-de-calcul-quantique