Quandela CPO on Why Quantum Computers Are Key to AI's Energy Problem

French quantum computing startup Quandela has chosen South Korea as its strategic hub in Asia. The company announced its full-fledged collaboration with Korea on the 12th by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to establish an 80 billion won quantum technology development center.

Jean Senellart, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Quandela, told reporters in an interview at the French Embassy that day, "Korea has research expertise, large-scale production technology, and the government's commitment to innovation," adding, "It's the optimal environment for quantum computing industrialization." Quandela, which develops photon-based quantum computers, is characterized by its ability to implement qubits with 100,000 times higher density compared to competing technologies.

◇ Quantum Computers Made with Photons: "100,000x Density Advantage"

Quandela uses photonic technology—particles of light called photons—to build quantum computers. This is fundamentally different from the superconducting qubits used by IBM or Google.

CPO Senellart explained, "From both physics and engineering perspectives, photonic technology has demonstrated the best performance in single photon generation and creating complex quantum states." He emphasized, "When we compared mathematically with other technologies, the number of components needed to create one error-corrected logical qubit is at a level of 1/100,000."

This isn't just about size reduction. It means that the engineering effort, power consumption, and maintenance costs required to build large-scale quantum computers are dramatically reduced. Senellart explained, "The infrastructure needed to build a quantum computer of the same size becomes completely different."

Quandela's quantum computers are designed with a modular structure. The system expands by adding modules one by one and connecting them optically. Photons move from one module to another, with qubits processing information. The system installed at France's National High-Performance Computing (HPC) Center operates in this manner.

◇ From Ammonia to New Drugs... Solving AI Energy Problems Too

What are quantum computers actually used for? The examples Senellart presented are all complex molecular simulations that cannot be solved with conventional computers.

A representative case is the ferrocene molecule. This molecule, which plays a key role in nitrogen fixation, is closely related to ammonia production used in fertilizer manufacturing. The problem is that current industrial processes are very inefficient. Senellart explained, "The current ammonia production process accounts for about 3% of global annual carbon dioxide emissions," adding, "If we accurately understand the ferrocene molecular structure, we can transition to biological processes." Only quantum computers can precisely simulate this complex molecular structure.

Quantum computers also play a significant role in drug development. Understanding the electron structure of a molecule called CYP P450 can speed up drug development and create more precise medications. Senellart said, "Precise drugs mean fewer side effects," adding, "Faster, more accurate, and safer drug development becomes possible."

Quantum computers also have advantages in terms of energy efficiency. He stated, "Quantum computers consume 20 times less power than conventional systems." Citing 2023 data, he pointed out, "The energy demand of AI microscalers and data centers is increasing in a double exponential function," adding, "It's already at an uncontrollable level." The explanation is that moving some computations to quantum computers can stop this energy increase.

However, quantum computers don't replace all computations. Quandela is developing a hybridization system that combines high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing. Senellart said, "We need to integrate different hardware and connect different programming languages," adding, "Hybridization is progressing at every level."

◇ Four-Pillar Strategy in Korea: From Manufacturing to Education

The reason Quandela chose Korea as its Asian hub is clear. Senellart cited "high expertise in research and academia, the government's will to foster innovation, and the know-how to lead new technologies to large-scale, high-quality production."

He presented four core pillars, saying, "Simply deploying machines or providing cloud services is not enough to make Korea a leading country in quantum computing." These are software development, hardware, digital infrastructure deployment, and education and training. Manufacturing capabilities will be added in the future.

On the software side, the company develops new use cases in energy, chemistry, and cybersecurity, connecting theoretical discoveries from academia to actual corporate use. For hardware, the plan is to provide access to local cloud infrastructure and deploy actual machines locally so data can be controlled locally.

Education is also an important pillar. Senellart emphasized, "The key is to continuously educate new talent through academia and research, and provide tools to professors and scholars so research can move beyond basic science to actual applications."

Quandela has already moved beyond the research stage to the manufacturing stage. The company assembles computers in its own factory and has invested in production lines that scale semiconductor technology. Senellart explained, "We leverage the existing semiconductor industry and foundries to build our own foundry and have reached the same level of stability." Semiconductor-based single photon source technology is the core.

Quandela deployed five quantum computers to the cloud in 2022, and a large community of researchers from academia and industry is using them. Senellart said, "The process of discovering new algorithms and new applications of quantum computing through this is very exciting."

The company plans to apply the same approach in Korea. The strategy is to deploy machines locally and collaborate with academia and companies to develop use cases suited to the Korean market. Senellart emphasized, "Korea has the perfect conditions to lead quantum computing in Asia."