Large-Scale Photonic Quantum Computing Platform Technologies

Expected Outcome:

This action will establish a strategic European initiative to develop scalable, modular, and interoperable photonic quantum computing platforms. Proposals for this topic are expected to address and provide credible solutions to at least two major technical roadblocks currently limiting the advancement of photonic quantum computing such as:

• The lack of deterministic, high-efficiency photonic entanglement and loss-tolerant architectures suitable for fault-tolerant scaling
• The absence of a standardised, integrated control stack combining photonic hardware, firmware, and system software with reliable benchmarking across platforms

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• By 2028, demonstration of a photonic NISQ processor with ≥100 photonic qubits, integrating deterministic single-photon sources, low-loss waveguides, on-chip detectors, and a firmware stack (scheduler, controller, compiler), validated via hardware-agnostic benchmarks and hybrid photonic-HPC applications demonstrating classical-quantum crossover
• By 2030, delivery of a full-stack, high-connectivity photonic quantum computer, with modular scalability, integrated on-chip and fibre-based interconnects, and high-fidelity gates (e.g. error rates ≤10⁻³) with an indicative target of 1 000 photonic qubits, laying the groundwork for prototype demonstrations of quantum utility on industrially relevant workloads.
• System-level interoperability and standardisation, with published interface specifications across photonic quantum hardware and software stacks including packaging, APIs, compiler interfaces, and cloud protocols compatible with telecom wavelengths

Trimmed here, the full scope, expected outcomes and award criteria are on the official topic page ↗.