Pasqal
Pasqal, based in France, builds quantum processors from individual neutral atoms held in programmable two- and three-dimensional patterns by tightly focused laser beams. Qubits interact when lasers push the atoms into large, highly excited states. So far its machines have mainly been used for simulation and optimisation tasks, sold both through cloud services and as systems installed at customer sites such as supercomputing centres. The company's stated next step is moving from these early machines to error-corrected logical qubits.
Where it ranks this month
Best place in each race, from QubitBenchmark release 2026-11.1.
Machines
| Machine | Physical qubits | Introduced | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orion Gamma | 140 | – | cloud (Pasqal Cloud); dedicated on-premises or HPC-centre deployment |
| Aramco system, Dhahran (Saudi Arabia) | 200 | 2025 | on-premises at Aramco; Pasqal says it also provides cloud-based access in Saudi Arabia |
| SOL at CINECA, Bologna (Orion-family QPU) | 140 | 2026 | on-premises at CINECA, integrated with the Leonardo supercomputer |
| Fresnel (listed as an Azure Quantum target) | 100 | – | Azure Quantum |
| Vela (announced, not yet confirmed shipped) | 256 | 2026 | not publicly available |
Qubit counts as the company reports them. Our rankings use QubitBenchmark's checked results instead.
Promised vs delivered
What Pasqal has said it would build, and what happened.
| Milestone | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ship a 100+ qubit neutral-atom computer to end users | 2024 | Delivered |
| 10,000-qubit system with scalable logical-qubit architecture | 2026 | Slipped |
| Orion Gamma, third Orion generation, 140+ physical qubits | end of 2025 | Delivered |
| 1,000 physical qubits (atoms) demonstrated | end of 2025 | Delivered |
| 2 logical qubits | 2025 | Unclear |
| Quantum advantage demonstration on an industry-relevant problem (250-qubit QPU) | end of Q1 2026 (roadmap page); 'first part of 2026' (2025 roadmap); 'before mid-2026' (January 2026 blog) | Slipped |
| Vela QPU (200+ / 256+ qubits) | 2027 (2025 roadmap); launch in 2026 (January 2026 blog) | Due this year |
| 20 logical qubits | 2027 | Unclear |
| Centaurus, early fault-tolerant system (500+ qubits) | 2028 | Unclear |
| Lyra fault-tolerant system with 100 high-fidelity logical qubits | 2029 | Unclear |
| 200+ logical qubits | 2029 (2026 roadmap page); 2030 (June 2025 roadmap) | Unclear |
Recent claims, and how far the evidence has got
- Preprint 256-qubit one-to-one quantum simulation of the frustrated magnet TmMgGaO4, matched against laboratory measurements of real crystals (run on Orion Beta QPUs) Source
- Announced Defect-free registers of 1,024 atoms (double its earlier 506) and a full machine-learning application run on logical qubits that outperformed the physical-qubit version Source
- Announced CEO says Pasqal can 'deliver quantum advantage on meaningful applications today' Source
In other organisations' rankings
Where Pasqal appears in other published rankings and lists. They don't change ours.
- The Quantum Index Report 2026, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (MIT Sloan), in collaboration with Accenture (2026-10).
- CB Insights ESP matrices: Quantum computer makers (neutral atoms, photonics, silicon qubit, superconducting circuits, trapped ions), CB Insights (2026).
Sources
- Pasqal home page, Pasqal
- Roadmap, Pasqal
- Hardware, Pasqal
- Pasqal releases 2025 roadmap, Pasqal, 12 June 2025
- Inside Pasqal's 2026 vision on quantum for industry and research, Pasqal, 29 January 2026
- Pasqal aims for 10,000 qbit quantum computer in 2026, eeNews Europe, 12 March 2024
- Pasqal Holding SA, Form 6-K Exhibit 99.3 (H1 2026 condensed consolidated financial statements), U.S. SEC, 23 September 2026
- Pasqal Holding SA, Form 20-F shell company report, U.S. SEC
- Pasqal first-half 2026 financial results, The Quantum Insider, 24 September 2026
- Pasqal Reports First Half 2026 Financial Results (press release), GlobeNewswire via FinancialContent, 24 September 2026
- Saudi Arabia Deploys Its First Quantum Computer with Aramco-Pasqal Partnership, The Quantum Insider, 24 November 2025
- Pasqal inaugurates Italy's first neutral-atom quantum computer at CINECA supercomputing center, Quantum Computing Report, 11 June 2026
- One-to-one quantum simulation of a frustrated magnet with 256 qubits (arXiv:2603.20372), arXiv, 20 March 2026
- List of quantum computing providers on Azure Quantum, Microsoft Learn, 23 April 2026