Pasqal Achieves First On-Chip Neutral-Atom Qubit Trapping via Photonic Integrated Circuits

Neutral-atom quantum hardware developer Pasqal has achieved a technical milestone by trapping individual neutral atoms using laser light generated and routed directly through a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC). Developed in collaboration with its subsidiary Aeponyx—acquired less than 18 months prior—the demonstration replaces traditional free-space bulk optical tables with solid-state silicon nitride photonic chips, addressing a major physical scaling bottleneck in neutral-atom quantum computing architectures.

In the proof-of-concept demonstration, Pasqal generated four optical micro-traps (optical tweezers) via a single photonic chip inside a quantum processing unit (QPU), successfully trapping and holding four individual rubidium atoms. The integrated photonic platform matched the trapping performance of Pasqal’s bulk-optics setups, recording individual atom lifetimes of approximately 27.5 seconds. Transitioning optical trapping and laser routing onto wafer-scale silicon-nitride chips is projected to shrink the optical subsystem footprint of future neutral-atom processors by up to 50× while enabling semiconductor-foundry manufacturing processes.

                    [ Pasqal On-Chip Neutral-Atom Trapping Architecture ]
                                              │
     ┌────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┐
     ▼                                                                                 ▼
  Silicon Nitride Photonic Integrated Circuit (Aeponyx)             Integrated QPU Trapping Performance
  • Replaces Free-Space Optical Tables with Waveguides.            • 4 Individual Optical Traps via Single Chip.
  • Up to 50x Reduction in Optical Hardware Footprint.            • Trapped 4 Rubidium Atoms in QPU Chamber.
  • Scalable Foundry-Based Semiconductor Manufacturing.             • 27.5-Second Atom Lifetimes Matched Bulk Optics.

The milestone directly supports Pasqal’s long-term hardware roadmap, which targets scaling neutral-atom QPUs from present 1,000+ physical qubit systems to fault-tolerant architectures featuring over 10,000 physical atoms and 100 logical qubits. Led by CEO Wasiq Bokhari, Pasqal’s integration of Aeponyx’s integrated photonics portfolio allows the company to vertically control its optical control layer as it prepares to list publicly on the NASDAQ via its proposed business combination with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ: BBCQ).

Review the official milestone announcement on the Pasqal Newsroom here, inspect SEC filings via the SEC EDGAR System here, and examine our previous coverage of Pasqal’s public filing of its joint Form F-4 registration statement here.

August 10, 2026