In summary

As part of the French National Quantum Strategy (SNQ) made public in 2021, the French State entrusted the Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais (LNE) with the mission of coordinating the development of measurement methods adapted to quantum technologies and enabling technologies as well as the evaluation of these emerging technologies through the implementation of the MetriQs-France programme.

With a budget of €13 million, the national programme for measurement, evaluation and standardisation of quantum technologies, MetriQs-France, aims to:

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• Develop validated, harmonised and recognised reference measurement methods.
• Provide reliable, comparable, objective and unbiased characterisation data.
• Promote this work on a large scale, particularly through standardisation and the development of scientific partnerships and international cooperation.

In support of innovation and the establishment of a thriving and sustainable quantum industry, it is necessary to indisputably demonstrate the usefulness and advantages of quantum technologies over existing technologies in order to facilitate their adoption by industry and the market and to enable companies to maintain their competitive edge over time.

The need is all the greater as quantum technologies, which herald the advent of a new technological revolution, are at the heart of socio-economic, defence and sovereignty issues, and thus give rise to fierce international competition involving both States and private actors including digital giants.

At the dawn of a quantum revolution

Discovered in the first half of the 20th century, quantum physics, which allows a description of light and matter down to the atomic scale, has already brought us many innovations (for example, the transistor, the laser, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the atomic clock, GPS, etc.) and additional benefits have emerged in recent years.

The development of quantum technologies, particularly those related to computing, heralds the advent of a true technological revolution, as they offer computing power and speed that are unmatched by those of existing technologies. Moreover, their areas of application are highly diverse, including health, the environment, cybersecurity and cryptography, defence, energy, logistics, banking and insurance. Consequently, all of these issues represent enormous issues of economic and strategic sovereignty.

However, many scientific, technological, and technical challenges remain. Suppliers and potential users of these emerging technologies express a very strong need for metrology because there is currently a lack of objective and shared measurement standards that provide reliable and objective measurement of product characteristics and performance, and create a level playing field between market players. Metrology must therefore fully play its role in supporting scientific and technical developments, innovation, industrialisation, and building trust, particularly with a view to large-scale deployment in the long term.

Quantum, a priority topic for the French State

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In a context of fierce international competition involving both governments and private players, including digital giants, France adopted a National Strategy for Quantum Technologies (SNQ) in 2021 and set itself the goal of becoming a major player in this field.

Thanks to this strategy, which has a budget of €1.8 billion (including €1 billion in public funding between 2021 and 2025), France will be able to strengthen and assert its scientific and technological expertise, establish solid supply chains and industrial sectors, and build a pool of high-quality skills. In order to guarantee and sustain its independence in this technological field that will shape the future, France seeks to assert the interests of its industrial companies and enable them to maintain their competitive edge in the long term.

Towards an objective and reliable evaluation of the performance of quantum technologies

Coordinated by the Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais (LNE), the MetriQs-France programme is the national programme dedicated to measurement methods, evaluation and standardisation of quantum technologies. At the national level, activities are carried out in close collaboration with national research organisations, French manufacturers (start-ups, SMEs, mid-sized companies, large groups), AFNOR for standardisation, and partners of the French National Metrology Network (RNMF).

As a cross-cutting action of the National Strategy for Quantum Technologies (SNQ), the MetriQs-France programme covers the technologies used for quantum computing and quantum sensors, as well as the enabling technologies that make it possible to operate these quantum systems.

With a budget of €13 million, the MetriQs-France programme is structured around two components that contribute to its implementation:

• The MetriQs-HUB-France component: a leading quantum metrology platform for the characterisation and evaluation of quantum technologies, which is expert and independent, and open to academic and industrial users.
• The MetriQs-DEV-France component: a programme comprising both R&D projects for the development of measurement methods and the evaluation of quantum technologies (BACQ, MOCQUA, and QUBE), and dissemination and exploitation activities, notably through the development of scientific partnerships and international cooperation, and participation in standardisation work.

All scientific publications related to the programme are available on the HAL platforms MetriQs-HUB-France and MetriQs-DEV-France.

Meet the team

• Félicien SCHOPFER, Research Director and Director of the Quantum Technologies Programme, felicien.schopfer@lne.fr 
• Benoît DALBERT, Project Management Officer, benoit.dalbert@lne.fr