Alice & Bob launches Helium quantum system for research partners

Alice & Bob has unveiled the Helium Quantum System, its first full quantum system for on-premise deployment, and opened it to research partners. The launch marks a step toward the company’s goal of building a universal fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030.

Why it matters: - Alice & Bob is moving beyond chip development and into full-system delivery for research use. - The Helium Quantum System is aimed at advancing quantum error correction, logical qubits and fault-tolerant quantum computing. - The platform is designed for on-premise deployment and integration with quantum and classical computing resources, including HPC environments. - The company says the system is a milestone on its roadmap to a universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2030.

What happened: - Alice & Bob unveiled the Helium Quantum System in Paris on June 11, 2026. - The company is inviting research partners to run experiments on the system and collaborate on fault-tolerant quantum computing research. - Alice & Bob also launched Starboard, a monitoring interface for administrators of the 18-cat-qubit system.

The details: - The Helium Quantum System is engineered to encode Alice & Bob’s first logical qubit with as few as 18 cat-qubits. - The full stack, from processor architecture to cabling, control electronics and software, is optimized for quantum error correction. - The platform is designed to support the next 48-cat-qubit chip on Alice & Bob’s roadmap, which is expected to include multiple logical qubits. - The system requires about 40 kW of power, which Alice & Bob says can help lower deployment costs for advanced quantum systems. - Starboard gives administrators a single dashboard to visualize system behavior, monitor individual qubit performance, schedule workloads and track live hardware metrics. - Starboard uses highly automated software developed by Alice & Bob. - The Helium Quantum System works with common HPC schedulers, including Slurm, through the open-source QRMI library and other third-party solutions. - Users can connect through Alice & Bob’s Felis software framework, which provides custom instructions for the Helium chip while remaining compatible with major quantum programming frameworks. - Alice & Bob is based in Paris and Boston and focuses on cat-qubit technology. - The company says its cat architecture can reduce the hardware required for a useful large-scale quantum computer by up to 200 times compared with competing approaches.

Between the lines: - The launch signals a shift from component innovation to a more complete product stack that outside researchers can actually use. - Direct access to the architecture may help Alice & Bob build credibility with labs and HPC centers that care about practical fault tolerance, not just qubit counts. - The emphasis on power efficiency and scheduler compatibility suggests the company is targeting real deployment constraints, not only lab demonstrations. - Théau Peronnin, CEO and co-founder of Alice & Bob, said the company has focused on fault tolerance from the outset and sees better qubits, not just more qubits, as the key race in the industry.

What’s next: - Research partners can begin testing the Helium Quantum System and collaborating with Alice & Bob on fault-tolerant quantum computing research. - The next major hardware step on the roadmap is the 48-cat-qubit chip, which the company expects to support on the new platform. - Alice & Bob will likely use the launch to validate its architecture with external users as it works toward its 2030 target.

The bottom line: - Alice & Bob is trying to turn its cat-qubit approach into a usable research platform, not just a chip design.