Quantum Computing Authority Senellart on the 'Final Piece' for Commercialization

Emphasizing Communication Between Researchers and Industry Professionals

Focusing on Quantum Operations Per Second Over Simple Qubit Counts

"More Women Must Enter the Field of Engineering"

"The final hurdle for quantum computers to move beyond the laboratory and become an industry standard is ultimately 'industrialization.' We are now facing the enormous challenge of scaling up from controlling 10 or 100 qubits to millions."

Pascale Senellart, Professor of Quantum Mechanics at École Polytechnique and Co-founder of the French quantum computing company Quandela, is posing in front of the International Education Building at Ewha Womans University on the 18th before attending the "Women, Power of the Future: 140 Years of Korea-France Dialogue" forum. Photo by Seungwook Park

Pascale Senellart, Professor of Quantum Mechanics at Ecole Polytechnique and Co-founder of the French quantum computing company Quandela, highlighted the importance of an 'industrial ecosystem' for the commercialization of quantum technology in an interview with The Asia Business Daily on the 18th.

Professor Senellart identified 'scalability' as the most difficult barrier in the current field of quantum computing. She noted, "There is a gap between researchers and people in the industrial field—they don't understand each other and rarely even engage in dialogue," and emphasized, "They must join forces to achieve industrial innovation and usher in the era of millions of qubits."

Quantum computers operate fundamentally differently from conventional computers. While classical computers choose either 0 or 1, quantum computers leverage 'superposition,' where 0 and 1 can exist simultaneously. Professor Senellart explained, "If a classical computer explores a maze one path at a time, a quantum computer explores all possible paths at once. This enables rapid solutions to complex problems, such as optimizing the layout of electric vehicle charging stations to maximize driver convenience and efficiently supply energy where needed."

Pascale Senellart, Professor of Quantum Mechanics at École Polytechnique and co-founder of French quantum computing company Quandela, is posing at Ewha Womans University International Education Center before attending the "Women, Power of the Future: 140 Years of Korea-France Dialogue" forum held on the 18th. Photo by Seungwook Park

Quandela is developing quantum computers based on photons (particles of light). Unlike superconducting or ion trap methods, the photonic approach has the advantage of utilizing existing optical fiber networks. Professor Senellart stated, "To scale up to millions of qubits, connecting modules is essential, and this is only possible with photons. While other platforms require the challenging step of converting information into photons, Quandela already uses photons and thus does not need this extra step."

To develop photonic quantum computers, Professor Senellart focused on 'quantum dots.' She explained, "We use photons to encode information, but to do so, we needed a device that emits photons one at a time. We developed such a device using quantum dots, which are nanostructures made up of tens of thousands of atoms, so that pressing a button releases a single photon."

Quandela emphasizes 'QOPS' (Quantum Operations Per Second) rather than just the number of qubits. As a result, Quandela's 24-qubit quantum computer has demonstrated higher efficiency than some quantum computers with a greater number of qubits. Professor Senellart remarked, "Global companies are obsessed with increasing qubit counts, but if the speed is too slow, it's pointless. I believe QOPS is a key metric, as it shows not just how many qubits you have, but how quickly you can manipulate them."

Pascale Senellart, Professor of Quantum Mechanics at École Polytechnique and Co-founder of the French quantum computing company Quandela, is speaking at the 'Women, Power of the Future: 140 Years of Korea-France Dialogue' forum held at Ewha Womans University on the 18th. Photo by Seungwook Park

Despite these remarkable achievements, the path has not been easy for her as a female scientist. Professor Senellart recalled, "In physics, my field of study, women make up only 10 percent, so it was extremely difficult to feel a sense of belonging or gain confidence. Overcoming the feeling of being an outsider in this world was one of the greatest challenges."

On this day, Professor Senellart participated in the "Women, Power of the Future: 140 Years of Korea-France Dialogue" forum held at Ewha Womans University International Education Center, where she discussed the future of female researchers and emphasized the need for more women in engineering. She said, "Science, including artificial intelligence (AI), is all around us, and in a gendered society, women can offer complementary perspectives to those of men."

Finally, Professor Senellart expressed her ambition to contribute to finding solutions to major issues such as climate change through quantum computing. She concluded, "Quantum computers are not a panacea, but they can help us find better solutions through faster simulations. I will not stop pursuing the journey of turning science into practical solutions for everyday life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.