Pasqal delivers 140-qubit neutral atom quantum computer to CINECA in Italy

Pasqal has delivered a 140-qubit neutral atom quantum computer to CINECA at the DAMA Emilia-Romagna Technopole in Bologna. The system was developed by Pasqal and funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research through the National Center ICSC and by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. The quantum computer is engineered for tight integration with the Leonardo pre-exascale EuroHPC supercomputer. It will allow users to offload specialized workloads such as complex optimization problems, advanced materials simulation and machine learning tasks to the quantum processing unit while Leonardo handles classical processing and large-scale data handling. Antonio Zoccoli, president of the ICSC Research Center, said the delivery follows the strategic vision of the Ministry of University and Research and the European strategy for quantum computing. He added that when integration with Leonardo becomes operational in the coming months the national scientific community and industry will have new resources. Loic Henriet, chief executive at Pasqal, said the delivery marks a milestone for European quantum computing. Pasqal now operates three quantum devices under the EuroHPC JU project after previous installations in France and Germany. The integration is expected to become fully operational and available to academic and industrial researchers in the coming months.