Photonic quantum computing developer Quandela showcased a live hybrid AI–quantum computing demonstrator at NVIDIA GTC Berlin, highlighting how photonic quantum processing units (QPUs) can function as integrated accelerators within High-Performance Computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The demonstration builds upon Quandela’s earlier hardware validation at ISC High Performance in Hamburg, where the company established a low-latency interconnect between NVIDIA accelerated computing nodes and Quandela photonic hardware using NVIDIA NVQLink. At GTC Berlin, Quandela demonstrated an active hybrid workflow executing a quantum reservoir-computing algorithm, where an NVIDIA DGX Spark system exchanges data directly with Quandela’s FPGA-based Quantum System Controller (QSC) via NVQLink and the NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform.
| [ Quandela Live Hybrid Photonic Integration Stack & European Strategy ] | ||
|---|---|---|
| System Architecture Layer | Integrated Technology Stack | Operational Function & Strategic Scope |
| • AI / Classical Compute | • NVIDIA DGX Spark Workstation Node | • Orchestrates overall AI workloads and classical data pre-processing. |
| • Hardware Interconnect | • NVIDIA NVQLink + CUDA-Q Platform | • Direct FPGA-to-GPU data exchange bypassing host OS and remote cloud APIs. |
| • Photonic Control Plane | • Quandela FPGA-based Quantum System Controller | • Manages real-time optoelectronic pulse schedules and high-repetition photon routing. |
| • Industrial Footprint | • Franco-German Ecosystem Cooperation (attocube, CEA, GENCI) | • Integrates cryogenic hardware for Lucy QPU at TGCC and advances regional EuroHPC deployment. |
Rather than relying on high-latency cloud APIs, the demonstrator illustrates an architecture where the host CPU orchestrates applications, the GPU processes intensive AI calculations, and the photonic QPU is invoked for specific subroutines. For high-repetition-rate photonic systems, low-latency interconnects like NVQLink are critical to prevent data movement bottlenecks from stalling optical state execution.
The demonstration also highlights Quandela’s expanding industrial operations in Germany, including its technical partnership with attocube systems (co-developers of the Lucy photonic QPU deployed at CEA’s TGCC facility under EuroHPC/GENCI) and its participation in the Franco-German Dialogue on Quantum Technologies to build sovereign European quantum computing infrastructure.
Review the press release via Quandela Newsroom here, and read previous coverage here.
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