Quandela and the EIC Accelerator: Photonic Quantum Machines Sold

Quandela, founded in 2017 in Massy as a spin-off of France's CNRS and its C2N nanoscience centre, builds quantum computers whose qubits are single photons produced by semiconductor quantum dots. Its EIC project set out to make these photon sources brighter and more reproducible, build faster optical modules to "increase the number of quantum bits to several dozen", develop software and prepare sales, according to the final report on CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,000 towards a €3.57 million project from January 2023 to December 2024, as shown on CORDIS. The report says Quandela doubled the brightness of its fibre-coupled sources from 9% to 18%, built two prototype systems for routing photons and installed a photonic quantum computer in an industrial data centre. In November 2023 the EIC Fund joined a round of more than €50 million. Quandela says it has since sold computers to OVHcloud, Exaion and Europe's EuroHPC programme. Its current machines have 12 qubits, and its revenue since 2021 is not public.

Where Quandela Stands Now

In 2025 Quandela launched Belenos, a 12-qubit machine it says has 4,000 times the computing power of its 2022 generation and is used by more than 1,200 cloud users in 30 countries. It delivered Lucy, a 12-qubit computer, to the CEA's TGCC supercomputing centre for EuroHPC, which will be coupled to the Joliot-Curie supercomputer, according to The Quantum Insider. In 2026 OVHcloud added Belenos to its quantum platform and Quandela signed a simulation project with Safran, according to its May 2026 press kit.

The Technology: Qubits Made of Light

Quandela's photon sources reached 18% brightness at the end of a fibre while keeping indistinguishability above 95% and purity above 98%, the report says. One demultiplexer prototype split a beam into eight outputs; another routed two pulses within 20 nanoseconds at 98.5% efficiency. Its Ascella cloud computer ran with more than 90% availability. In its October 2024 roadmap Quandela promised the first logical, error-corrected qubits in 2025 and fault-tolerant computing by 2030. Its May 2026 press kit lists no logical qubit demonstration.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The source and routing improvements, the software work and the first commercial installation were delivered. The aim of several dozen qubits was not reached within the project or since: Quandela's newest delivered machines have 12. CORDIS still lists the project as signed.

1. Brighter photon sourcesDelivered9% to 18%.
2. Fast optical routingPrototypesTwo demultiplexers.
3. CommercialisationDeliveredOVHcloud, Exaion, EuroHPC.
4. Several dozen qubitsNot reached12 qubits.

The Money

Quandela's last detailed public accounts are for 2021: revenue of €440,000 and a net loss of €493,000, according to Pappers. Its 2022 accounts were filed with a confidentiality declaration and its 2024 accounts in simplified form, according to the official gazette BODACC, so its revenue from selling computers is not public. The Series B also included France 2030 support through the Première Usine programme for its Massy factory.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Quandela's Lucy was assembled in the EU with 80% European components and is now part of Europe's public supercomputing infrastructure. The EU has backed Quandela as a grant maker, an investor and a customer, which makes independent evidence of its commercial progress more important, not less.

The Verdict

Quandela and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.