Paris-based Pasqal on Thursday inaugurated Europe's third Pasqal-built quantum computer, named SOL, hosted at CINECA in Bologna, Italy. The system marks Italy's first neutral-atom quantum computer and is based on Pasqal's Orion quantum processing unit (QPU) with 140 qubits. This installation represents a significant milestone in Europe's development of integrated high-performance computing (HPC) and quantum infrastructure, designed to support advanced research and enterprise use cases.

The system inauguration marked the rollout of new HPC and quantum systems procured by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU). It is co-funded by Italy's Ministry of University and Research through ICSC (Italian Research Center on HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing). The system has been engineered for tight integration with the Leonardo pre-exascale EuroHPC supercomputer—ranked 10th on the Top500 list—allowing users to seamlessly offload specialized workloads to the QPU while relying on Leonardo for classical processing.

Technical Integration and Capabilities

At CINECA, Pasqal deploys its HPC–quantum integration stack, exposing the QPU as a native resource within the supercomputing environment. This enables hybrid workflows that combine quantum and classical computing resources through standard HPC scheduling mechanisms. The deployment builds on the open-source Quantum Resource Management Interface (QRMI) and supports integration with leading hybrid quantum-classical software ecosystems, including NVIDIA CUDA-Q and Qiskit, IBM's open-source software stack for quantum computing.

Expansion Across Europe

The launch strengthens Pasqal's expansion across Europe, following earlier deployments in France at CEA-TGCC and in Germany at FZJ-JSC under the EuroHPC JU HPCQS pilot program. Collectively, these installations serve as the foundation of Europe's distributed hybrid HPC–quantum computing network. This federated infrastructure enables researchers and enterprises to tackle complex problems in areas such as materials science, optimization, and machine learning.

Strategic Significance

"The inauguration of this quantum computer marks a major milestone for CINECA and ICSC and for Italy's role in Europe's advanced computing ecosystem," said Sara Marzella, Responsible for Quantum Computing at CINECA. "By integrating Pasqal's neutral-atom technology with the Leonardo supercomputer, we are enabling a new class of hybrid applications that will empower researchers and industry leaders to address some of the most complex scientific and industrial challenges."

Anders Jensen, Executive Director of EuroHPC JU, highlighted the strategic importance: "With SOL, the new EuroHPC quantum computer and LISA, the AI-upgrade to the world-class Leonardo supercomputer, we are further strengthening our sovereign supercomputing ecosystem and giving European users new tools to innovate across AI, HPC and quantum technologies."

Pasqal Going Public Soon

In March 2026, Pasqal disclosed that it is merging with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ: BBCQ) in a SPAC deal. The transaction values Pasqal at a pre-money equity of $2.0 billion and the combined company at a pro forma enterprise value of $2.6 billion. Pasqal expects to garner over $600 million in gross proceeds from the deal. Post-closure, the company will operate as Pasqal and list on Nasdaq.