Quobly & SiPearl team up on European quantum computing

Quobly and SiPearl have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore how their quantum and processor technologies could work together. The agreement focuses on linking SiPearl's Rhea1 CPU with Quobly's quantum systems.

The non-exclusive partnership will begin by combining Rhea1 and SiPearl's Seine reference server with a Quobly quantum processing unit system as part of the development of Quobly's Alloy product line.

This first phase will assess whether the two technologies can operate within a common system architecture. Later stages are expected to examine the optimisation and deployment of hybrid high-performance computing and quantum workloads, as well as possible architectural links for future product generations.

The move brings together two French groups working on different layers of advanced computing infrastructure, at a time when European policymakers and industry are seeking to reduce dependence on non-European hardware suppliers in strategic technologies.

SiPearl designs processors for European supercomputing, artificial intelligence and data centres. Quobly is developing quantum computers based on silicon spin qubits and has focused on using semiconductor manufacturing methods to scale production.

European focus

The companies also plan to coordinate their efforts in response to European calls for tender, including potential joint opportunities under the Chips Joint Undertaking on quantum.

Both groups present the partnership as an early attempt to connect Europe's established high-performance computing sector with its emerging quantum computing industry. That includes work not only at chip level, but also on the broader classical computing environment needed to run quantum systems.

"Building scalable quantum computers also means building the classical computing environment around them. By exploring the integration of SiPearl's CPU technology with our quantum computers, we are looking at how HPC and quantum computing can work together efficiently, from the system level to future architectures. This cooperation is also part of our ambition to build quantum computers that can integrate into existing computing infrastructures," said Maud Vinet, chief executive officer and co-founder of Quobly.

The tie-up adds a quantum element to SiPearl's effort to establish a European hardware base in fields that have largely depended on processors and systems designed elsewhere. Its first-generation Rhea1 processor is due for release at the end of 2026 and is set to be used in JUPITER, a supercomputer in Germany. A later processor, Rhea2, is slated for Alice Recoque in France.

SiPearl says it employs 200 people across France, Spain, Italy and Taiwan. It describes itself as a fabless chip designer backed by the European Union and France.

Quobly, founded in 2022 and based in Grenoble, employs more than 100 people and has subsidiaries in Singapore and Canada. In June 2026, it raised €115 million in a Series A funding round led by Bpifrance, STMicroelectronics and SEALSQ.

System integration

For Quobly, the agreement reflects a wider challenge facing quantum computing companies as they move from laboratory prototypes towards usable systems. Quantum processors need to work alongside conventional computing hardware that handles control, orchestration and integration with existing computing environments.

The initial work involving SiPearl's Rhea1 and Seine server is intended to test that relationship in practical terms. If successful, it could offer a route to deploying hybrid systems built around European components across both classical and quantum layers.

SiPearl and Quobly both have ties to Grenoble, a city with a long-standing presence in microelectronics and computing research. Those links have helped shape their relationship, alongside a shared focus on sovereign computing infrastructure.

"We have had close ties with Quobly for a long time, thanks in particular to SiPearl's R&D centre in Grenoble, but above all because we share the same vision regarding the need to build a European hardware ecosystem for sovereign computing. This first partnership with a quantum expert marks another significant milestone in the development of this ecosystem, which will offer complementary sovereign hardware solutions in the fields of HPC, AI and quantum computing for Europe's strategic applications," said Philippe Notton, chief executive officer and founder of SiPearl.