Quantum Computing’s Holy Grail: The Cat Qubit Revolution

Quantum computing has long been the elusive dream of the tech world—a promise of unprecedented computing power that could redefine industries. But scaling it has been a nightmare, plagued by error rates that make traditional qubits unreliable. Enter Alice&Bob, the Paris-based quantum startup that’s rewriting the rules with its groundbreaking cat qubit architecture. And with a fresh $104 million in Series B funding, they’re charging full speed toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030.

“From the get-go, Alice&Bob had a clear vision: fault tolerance is the key to quantum computing. Now, the entire industry is aligning with our vision.”

Théau Peronnin, CEO and Co-Founder of Alice&Bob

Why Cat Qubits Are a Game-Changer

While most quantum startups are throwing more qubits at the problem, Alice&Bob took a smarter approach. Their cat qubit—inspired by Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment—embraces the idea of existing in two states at once. This design corrects half of the errors at the hardware level, dramatically simplifying the path to scalable quantum computing.

• Fault Tolerance: Cat qubits accept some errors while fixing others, making them inherently more stable.
• Hardware-Level Correction: Unlike traditional qubits, cat qubits don’t rely solely on software to fix errors.
• Scalability: This architecture could be the key to building quantum computers that actually work in the real world.

The Quantum Gold Rush Is On

The appetite for computing power is exploding. From Nvidia’s skyrocketing stock to the $500 billion Stargate AI data center project, the demand is clear. But traditional computing is hitting its limits. As Peronnin puts it, “Quantum is the future of productivity.”

Alice&Bob’s $104 million funding round, co-led by Future French Champions (FFC), AXA Venture Partners (AVP), and Bpifrance, is a testament to the growing belief in quantum’s potential. While the startup hasn’t disclosed its valuation, sources suggest it’s in the $300–400 million range—a clear sign that investors are betting big on cat qubits.

The Quantum Race Heats Up

Alice&Bob isn’t alone in this race. The quantum computing space is buzzing with activity:

• Riverlane raised $75 million for quantum error correction tech.
• SEEQC secured $30 million for its quantum chip development.
• Quantinuum hit a $5 billion valuation after raising $300 million.

Meanwhile, tech giants like Google and Microsoft are making strides in fault tolerance and commercialization. Google’s AlphaQubit AI system, unveiled in November 2024, can automatically identify quantum errors, while Microsoft and Atom Computing are gearing up to release a commercial quantum computer this year.

Why Investors Are All In

For Alice&Bob’s backers, the cat qubit isn’t just a technical breakthrough—it’s a commercial game-changer.

“Getting rid of one of two major errors is the key to scaling quantum computing. Alice&Bob is leading the charge.”

Francois Charbonnier, Partner at Bpifrance

Francois Robinet of AVP echoed this sentiment, noting that the R&D phase is over. With quantum chip architecture now supporting 48 qubits, the focus has shifted to scaling and commercialization.

The Road to 2030

Alice&Bob’s vision is clear: by 2030, they’ll deliver a fault-tolerant quantum computer that’s ready for real-world applications. And with cat qubits at the core of their architecture, they’re not just chasing the dream—they’re building it.

As Peronnin puts it, “The game is on.” And Alice&Bob is playing to win.