Paris, France – June 3, 2025 – Pasqal, a global leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, today announced the acquisition of AEPONYX, a Canadian pioneer in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) – specialized chips in precise light control and manipulation. This strategic move strengthens Pasqal’s hardware platform and accelerates the company’s roadmap to fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC), a critical milestone toward unlocking quantum’s full potential.
Quantum computers work by harnessing the rules of quantum physics. Pasqal’s platform uses neutral atoms, suspended in space using lasers, as quantum bits, or qubits. These atoms store and process quantum information with extraordinary accuracy and coherence.
Controlling the light that manipulates these atoms requires extreme precision, more than traditional systems can provide. AEPONYX’s PICs offer a compact, stable, and efficient way to generate and control the complex light fields required to trap, arrange, and entangle these atoms. Embedding this technology directly into Pasqal’s processors brings a new level of accuracy, robustness and scalability to the complex optics needed to run a quantum computer.
“AEPONYX has built some of the most precise and scalable light-control chips available now,” said Loïc Henriet, CEO of Pasqal. “By combining their technology with our neutral-atom architecture, we’re tightening our control over a critical part of the hardware stack. This gives us a competitive edge in scalability, advanced individual control of qubits, and hardware stability – three main goals every quantum company must achieve to deliver value at scale.”
The integration of PICs will allow Pasqal to replace delicate optical setups with chip-scale photonic circuits that will dramatically increase the stability of atom control and the precision of individual qubit manipulation. It will also simplify scaling from hundreds to thousands of qubits.
“Quantum computing is crossing a threshold – from proof-of-concept to real, usable processors,” said Philippe Babin, CEO of AEPONYX. “Joining Pasqal means our photonics will help power that leap. Together, we’re not just making better quantum machines – we’re building the foundation of a new computing era.”
A Shared Vision: Precision, Power, and Global Leadership
The combination of neutral atom qubits and photonic chips delivers a unique technological edge: unmatched control fidelity, error resilience, and hardware stability. These are the critical ingredients in the next-generation digital fault-tolerant quantum computing – processors that detect and correct their own errors in real time.
With this acquisition, Pasqal is executing on its broader vision: to build the world’s most practical and scalable quantum computers systems, moving quickly to enterprise-ready platforms.
“The future of computing will belong to the leading companies who can make quantum systems practical, reliable, and scalable,” Henriet added. “With AEPONYX on board, we’re a giant step closer to that future.”
About Pasqal
Pasqal is a leading quantum computing company that builds quantum processors from ordered neutral atoms in 2D and 3D arrays to bring a practical quantum advantage to its customers and address real-world problems. Pasqal was founded in 2019, out of the Institut d’Optique, by Georges-Olivier Reymond, Christophe Jurczak, Professor Dr. Alain Aspect, Nobel Prize Laureate Physics, 2022, Dr. Antoine Browaeys, and Dr. Thierry Lahaye. Pasqal has secured more than €140 million in financing to date. To learn more about us, visit www.pasqal.com.
About AEPONYX, Inc.
Founded in 2012 and financed with 22M in venture capital money AEPONYX has built a team of photonics experts and Research and Development professionals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Having spent a decade in research and development, on its Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) platform combining the benefits of Silicon Nitride (SiN) and Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS). The AEPONYX PIC platform finds applications in telecom, datacom, life science, automotive, and quantum markets.
Expertise in the active or passive alignment of components has always been the traditional approach. AEPONYX’s photonic wire bonding is the future. Building complex products in the quantum space requires expertise in PIC design and manufacturing, electronic design, optoelectronic packaging, and design for testing and manufacturing. This is AEPONYX’s expertise. For more information or to access data sheets for the products built using AEPONYX Silicon Nitride platform please visit www.aeponyx.com.
