ISC 2026: Bull and Alice & Bob Partner up to Bring Quantum Computers into HPC

Bull, a actor in advanced computing and AI, and Alice & Bob, a player in fault-tolerant quantum computing specializing in cat qubits, announces the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding to extend their joint collaboration across research, product innovation and commercialization.Together, Bull and Alice & Bob now aim to deepen their collaboration to accelerate the development and adoption of quantum technologies in Europe and beyond. 

From experimentation to broader industrial collaboration    
Under this agreement, the two companies will expand their cooperation in four key areas:

• Research & development – advancing quantum applications, particularly in material physics, and strengthening the integration of large-scale quantum (LSQ) systems within high-performance computing environments
• Product innovation – exploring new offerings, including the containerization and the assembly of quantum systems
• Software development – extending the capability of Bull’s software tools, including Qaptiva HPC and Qaptiva Access, to better support emulation of cat qubits as well as enable execution on Alice & Bob’s cat qubit chips in a HPC environment
• Commercial development – jointly addressing new business opportunities worldwide, with a focus on sovereignty-driven projects

Combining complementary strengths
These efforts reflect a shared ambition to move beyond early-stage experimentation, bridging the gap between quantum hardware innovation and its practical, scalable use in real-world environments as the industry enters its next phase.

Alice & Bob and Bull bring highly complementary strengths to this ambition. Alice & Bob is focused on building a universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer, with its cat qubit technology designed to reduce the hardware requirements for large-scale systems. 

This approach is combined with Bull’s long-standing expertise in high-performance computing, system integration and global support, as well as its industrial capabilities, including its manufacturing site in Angers and strong international footprint. Together, they are well positioned to enable the deployment and operation of hybrid HPC and quantum infrastructures at scale.

Strengthening a sovereign European quantum ecosystem
This collaboration is fully aligned with Bull’s ambition to act as a federator of the European quantum ecosystem and to contribute to the emergence of a sovereign quantum sector.

By working with a leading European QPU developer and leveraging its hardware agnostic platform Qaptiva – designed to work across multiple quantum technologies – Bull reinforces its positioning in both quantum emulation and large-scale HPC-quantum hybridization.

The partnership will initially focus on Europe, including France, the UK and Germany, where strong national and regional quantum initiatives are already underway.

“This next phase perfectly aligns with Bull’s quantum strategy, building on our quantum application development and emulation platform, enabling hybrid HPC and quantum experimentation. By expanding our collaboration with Alice & Bob, we aim to accelerate progress towards fault-tolerant quantum computing and ensure that future quantum capabilities can be integrated seamlessly into existing HPC infrastructures. It reflects a clear objective: to turn emerging quantum technologies into practical tools for industry, research and public-sector applications-while strengthening Europe’s technological autonomy,” said Bruno Lecointe, head, HPC, AI and Quantum Computing, Bull.

“By partnering with Bull’s quantum application development and emulation platform, we’ll accelerate the development and adoption of quantum technologies in Europe and beyond. Together, we will strengthen the integration of error-corrected quantum computing within high-performance computing environments and help drive broader QPU adoption,” said Chloé Poisbeau, COO, Alice & Bob.