Pasqal Leads €50M Q-PLANET Push To Industrialise Neutral-Atom Quantum Chips
The EU Chips Joint Undertaking and Pasqal have launched Q-PLANET, a €50 million pilot line coordinated by 28 organisations across 11 EU states to industrialise components for neutral-atom quantum computing, sensing and communication.
Key Takeaways
Pasqal and the EU Chips Joint Undertaking launched Q-PLANET on July 8-9, a €50 million ($57.2 million) pilot line to industrialise components for neutral-atom quantum computing, sensing and communication.
The consortium unites 28 organisations across 11 EU Member States under a six-year Framework Partnership Agreement, with the first three-year phase standardising Process Design Kits and Assembly Design Kits for EU foundry access.
Three core component families are targeted: integrated laser sources at 461, 698, 795 and 1013 nm for strontium/ytterbium qubit control, microfabricated atom chips, and chip-scale vapor cells for atomic clocks and Rydberg sensors.
Foundry and partner roles include DTU and VTT for silicon nitride, TopGaN and III-V Lab for gallium nitride blue emitters, iQrypto for control middleware, and Italy's INRiM for noise and linewidth certification.
Components will advance from TRL 4 to TRL 6 by 2029 over three build cycles, validated on Pasqal's commercial QPUs, the University of Stuttgart's QRydDemo platform and Welinq's quantum memory nodes.
Kaan Tınmaz
Europe is trying to industrialise its neutral-atom quantum computing playbook. Pasqal and the EU's Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) formally launched Q-PLANET on July 8-9, kicking off a €50 million ($57.2 million) pilot line to fabricate industrial-grade components for neutral-atom quantum computing, sensing and communication platforms.
28 Organisations, 11 EU States
Coordinated by Pasqal, Q-PLANET unites 28 Research and Technology Organisations, universities and industry partners spanning 11 EU Member States. The initiative sits under a six-year Framework Partnership Agreement, with the initial three-year phase focused on standardising Process Design Kits (PDKs) and Assembly Design Kits (ADKs) so startups and SMEs can plug into EU foundries without custom cleanroom builds.
Laser-On-Chip, Atom Chips And Vapor Cells
The consortium will design, fabricate and test three core component families: integrated laser sources at 461 nm, 698 nm, 795 nm and 1013 nm for strontium/ytterbium qubit control; microfabricated atom chips for containment; and chip-scale vapor cells for atomic clocks and Rydberg-based sensors. Silicon nitride foundry work is split between Denmark's DTU and Finland's VTT; TopGaN and III-V Lab handle gallium nitride blue emitters; iQrypto builds the control middleware; and Italy's INRiM certifies noise and linewidth.
TRL 6 By 2029, Then A Second Phase
Components will progress from Technology Readiness Level 4 to TRL 6 over three iterative build cycles, validated on Pasqal's commercial QPUs, the University of Stuttgart's QRydDemo platform and Welinq's quantum memory nodes. "Q-PLANET is a decisive step toward the EU's 2030 quantum ambitions," coordinator Alexandra Paul said. The programme complements the six-technology Chips JU quantum portfolio, joining photonic and superconducting pilot lines already in flight, and follows Pasqal's 140-qubit deployment at CINECA.
Reporting based on The Quantum Insider, Quantum Computing Report and Pasqal press materials.
Q-PLANET is a €50 million ($57.2 million) EU pilot line, coordinated by Pasqal under the Chips Joint Undertaking, to fabricate industrial-grade components for neutral-atom quantum computing, sensing and communication. It brings together 28 organisations from 11 EU Member States.
What components will Q-PLANET develop?
Three families: integrated laser sources at 461 nm, 698 nm, 795 nm and 1013 nm for strontium/ytterbium qubit control; microfabricated atom chips for atom containment; and chip-scale vapor cells for atomic clocks and Rydberg-based sensors.
What is the timeline and maturity goal?
The initiative runs under a six-year Framework Partnership Agreement, with an initial three-year phase. Components will progress from Technology Readiness Level 4 to TRL 6 by 2029 through three iterative build cycles, followed by a second phase.
How will the components be validated?
They will be tested on Pasqal's commercial quantum processing units, the University of Stuttgart's QRydDemo platform and Welinq's quantum memory nodes, with Italy's INRiM certifying noise and linewidth performance.
