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Alice & Bob, a Paris and Boston-based quantum computing company, has secured $3.9 million from the US Department of Energy's ARPA-E programme to develop fault-tolerant quantum algorithms for discovering rare-earth-free permanent magnets. The magnets are critical components in electric motors and turbines. The three-year project aims to achieve a 10,000-fold speed-up compared to classical simulations, enabling realistic material calculations within approximately one day. Alice & Bob will lead the collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, GE Vernova's Advanced Research accelerator, and Professor Emanuel Gull from Warsaw University and University of Michigan. Current high-performance magnets rely on rare-earth elements like neodymium, whose supply chains are geographically concentrated. The quantum computing approach could accelerate development of cheaper, more sustainable alternatives for energy and industrial technologies.

Quantum startup Alice & Bob partners with LANL and others for $3.9m rare-earth-free permanent magnet project. Funding awarded under DOE's Quantum Computing for Computational Chemistry program March 31, 2026 French quantum computing startup Alice & Bob has been awarded $3.9 million by the US Department of Energy to design rare-earth-free magnets. The funding has been granted as part of the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Quantum Computing for Computational Chemistry (QC 3) program. - Charlotte Trueman The three-year project will see Alice & Bob develop fault-tolerant quantum algorithms aimed at discovering rare-earth-free permanent magnets. The quantum startup will partner with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Massachusetts-based energy company GE Vernova's Advanced Research accelerator, and Professor Emanuel Gull, a visiting Professor at Warsaw University and a Professor at the University of Michigan. The group will create classical algorithms that can work in conjunction with Alice & Bob's quantum algorithms, with Los Alamos also tasked with developing tensor network tools to optimize quantum circuits. Additionally, GE Vernova's Advanced Research accelerator will perform a technoeconomic analysis of material discovery opportunities enabled by the hybrid algorithm. "Designing high-performance magnets without rare earth elements is one of the hardest problems in material science, as these materials are extremely difficult to simulate with classical computers," said Juliette Peyronnet, US general manager, Alice & Bob. "A hybrid approach - where classical methods compute environmental parameters and quantum computers simulate highly correlated electronic systems more accurately - could significantly accelerate the discovery of new magnetic materials." Marco Cerezo, Los Alamos scientist and laboratory lead on the project, added: "Finding ways to prepare high-quality states via tensor network optimization is a critical tool that will help develop fault-tolerant quantum algorithms applied to challenges like rare-earth-free minerals permanent magnets. This team effort converges expertise to leverage quantum computing for an important, practical outcome." Founded in 2020, Alice & Bob claims its superconducting 'cat qubits' are protected from bit-flip errors by design, meaning additional error-correcting qubits are only needed to tackle the remaining phase-flip errors. Alice & Bob has previously said it is alone in developing quantum computers exclusively with this type of qubit, and that its approach makes it possible to create fault-tolerant computers using far fewer qubits. In February 2025, Amazon unveiled its Ocelot quantum computing chip, also based on cat qubit architecture. In April of the same year, Alice & Bob was selected as one of 18 quantum computing companies chosen to enter the initial phase of the US government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). It was not named as a participant in Stage B of the program, although, at the time, DARPA said Stage A participants missing from the list could still advance. More in HPC & Quantum.

Alice & Bob joins TERATEC to contribute quantum integration expertise to European HPC initiative. Paris, Dec. 11, 2025 - Alice & Bob, a global leader in fault-tolerant quantum computing, today announced a new strategic partnership with TERATEC, a French initiative for high-performance computing and simulation. As a new member of TERATEC, Alice & Bob joins more than 80 tech and industrial companies, laboratories, research centers, universities and engineering schools working together in the strategic areas of simulation, HPC, AI and early fault-tolerant quantum computing (eFTQC). Members include Airbus, AMD, École Polytechnique, GENCI, L'Oréal and Thales. Alice & Bob will contribute experience in integrating quantum hardware with HPC infrastructure to develop best practices and advance adoption of quantum tech. "Because the integration of quantum hardware will transform computing in the near term, it is crucial that the HPC and quantum companies partner and make integration plans today," said Emmanuelle Vergnaud, Operations Manager and Head of Quantum at TERATEC. "Alice & Bob brings a depth of expertise in adding quantum hardware to HPC environments that will be crucial for our continued advancements across a range of research areas." While a few HPC centers have deployed today's early quantum computers, the HPC and quantum communities are still working towards the integration of useful systems and identifying where quantum computing will offer tangible benefits in production, according to Rémi de La Vieuville, Head of Quantum HPC at Alice & Bob. "We approach this with a lot of humility: HPC has a long history of engineering excellence, and we see real value in learning from TERATEC's ecosystem," said de La Vieuville. "Our work on integrating fault-tolerant quantum hardware with a full software stack is a perfect fit for the broader computing landscape and this community of HPC experts." As data centers install QPUs to gain operational experience with quantum systems, these teams will also need to develop new software. TERATEC and Alice & Bob are leading this effort by supporting application co-design across the quantum, HPC and end-user sectors. "TERATEC's strong network of industry leaders makes it an ideal partner to help us strengthen French and European research in both scientific and commercial fields," said Cécile Perrault, Head of Innovation & Partnerships at Alice & Bob. "Together, we can create new opportunities for HPC experts and quantum hardware specialists to design tomorrow's commercial applications." Alice & Bob recently published a report on how HPC centers can prepare for the transformational impact of quantum computers. The study concludes that partnerships between the quantum and HPC communities are critical to the co-development of applications, infrastructure, and integration of eFTQC into HPC environments. To learn more about Alice & Bob's work in HPC integration, including with NVIDIA and other partners, please visit www.alice-bob.com. About TERATEC TERATEC is a leading French initiative dedicated to advancing high-performance computing, numerical simulation, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence. Bringing together more than 80 major industrial players, SMEs, research laboratories, and academic institutions, TERATEC drives innovation and strengthens competitiveness in strategic digital domains. Located on the TERATEC Campus - adjacent to the CEA's world-class computing facilities (TGCC @ Bruyères le Châtel) - the organization fosters collaborative industry - academia partnerships, hosts major international events such as seminars and the Teratec Forum, and provides specialized training. Through its internal activities and participation in European projects, TERATEC accelerates the adoption of next-generation digital technologies. About Alice & Bob Alice & Bob is a quantum computing company based in Paris and Boston whose goal is to create the first universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Founded in 2020, Alice & Bob has raised €130 million in funding, hired over 150 employees and demonstrated experimental results surpassing those of technology giants such as Google or IBM. Dec. 11, 2025 - The world's top-performing system for graph processing at scale was built on... CAMBRIDGE, England, Dec. 11, 2025 - Riverlane, a global leader in quantum error correction (QEC), today... HELSINKI, Dec. 11, 2025 - Algorithmiq, a leader in quantum computing for chemistry and life... Dec. 11, 2025 - Red blood cells may be tiny, but the physics governing their... Dec. 11, 2025 - A paper introducing a hands-on course that puts students at the helm... MADISON, Wis., Dec. 11, 2025 - Qolab, a leader in quantum computing hardware, today announced a...