Since its establishment in 2019, Multiverse Computing has been taking the quantum computing market by storm. The rapid growth of this Spanish start-up has led it to open cross-border offices in Toronto, Canada, as well as in Palaiseau, in Paris Region.

Multiverse Computing offers a wide range of quantum-based algorithmic services tailored to the needs of specific industries from finance to manufacturing, to energy and sustainable development. In this area, for example, the company seeks to develop new, innovative solutions to tackling climate change through the implementation of quantum technology.

Eager to discover more about Multiverse Computing’s quantum computing software, we spoke to the head of the French subsidiary, Michel Kurek. He told us about the company’s current and future projects in Paris Region. This interview also covers Multiverse Computing’s outsourcing of local talents in the Region, its collaboration with top R&D centers such as Paris-Saclay, and its engagement in developing sustainable solutions through quantum computing.

Please tell us a few words about Multiverse Computing and your role in the company

Multiverse Computing SL is a Spanish DeepTech start-up funded in 2019 specializing in quantum computing software. The French subsidiary opened in 2021. As a reminder, once the technology will be sufficiently developed, quantum computers could perform calculations that would not be attainable with standard supercomputers, by exploiting concepts from quantum technologies.

As of today, Multiverse Computing positions itself as a key player in this field by proposing innovative solutions to its clients from very diverse industries. As Country Manager of the French subsidiary, my role is to integrate the company into the national ecosystem (company networks, academic links), developing it both in terms of recruitment and revenue. I also contribute to the group’s international expansion by setting up a local R&D center.

As the CEO for France at Multiverse Computing, what are the main qualities that are essential for your role or in general for a Country General Manager?

I would say that good knowledge of the country and a willingness to learn is a good start. A country manager must be capable of adapting to rapidly changing work situations, especially when working in a sector promoted by a proactive public policy, such as DeepTech.

In addition, it is also important to have good networking skills and of course to pay attention when communicating, especially if the country of practice is not the country of origin.

What were the main reasons that motivated your expansion to Paris Region? Why Paris Region and not another?

Since the announcement of its National Quantum Plan in January 2021, France has been positioning itself to become one of the main players in the field of quantum technologies. The public commitment, its remarkable assets in terms of scientific excellence and skills, and its prolific industrial ecosystem made France a natural choice for the development of Multiverse Computing.

As such, Paris-Saclay is at the heart of the French Quantum Plan because of its many laboratories, “Grandes Ecoles”, start-ups, and public and private R&D centers. Plus, as a reminder, almost 31% of France’s GDP is produced in Paris Region alone, certainly a key factor for the business development of our start-up.

Digital technologies and innovation are becoming drivers for a better quality of life. How is Multiverse Computing using quantum technology to improve sustainability? What are the main challenges?

Significant advances in quantum computing are enabling the exploration of multiple promising applications in material science, pharmaceutics, logistics, and many other industries. Quantum technologies could contribute to achieving sustainable development objectives, for example, a positive impact on the environment by reducing the causes of climate change.

At Multiverse Computing, we are already exploring the crossroads of quantum computing and sustainability in several projects for the energy sector, or sustainable finance, to name a few.

Apart from the current technological challenge aiming to improve the quality of quantum computers, I would mention two other challenges on the scale of the global quantum computing industry. The first one is linked to “benchmarking”, that is the comparison of quantum solutions between them and their comparison to conventional solutions when these exist. For example, we often hear that a quantum computer will consume less energy than a conventional supercomputer, but is that true?

Then comes the question of the ethics of quantum computing. To achieve the objectives of sustainability, some actions must be carried out, notably in gender equality, peace, and making technology more accessible to poorer countries. The stakes are high because innovation is increasingly becoming the result of diversity.

What are your plans for business in Paris Region?

Multiverse Computing started its activities by providing solutions to complex optimization and machine learning problems in the financial sector with methods deriving from quantum information processing. The solutions used can be applied to many other sectors and for this purpose, we are opening a new R&D center in Paris dedicated to these new vertical integrations (energy, cybersecurity, industry 4.0…).

In addition, our objective is to participate in academic and industrial ecosystems (major groups and start-ups) and to develop a commercial basis for national clients. Our goal is to contribute to the regional, national, and even European influence in the field of quantum software. In the face of global competition, we must avoid the setbacks we have experienced in the field of artificial intelligence, for example.

What are the Region and Paris-Saclay’s main assets, according to you?

The Paris-Saclay national interest operation is an exceptional project that defines a structuring framework for Paris Region. In fact, as proof of its momentum, Paris-Saclay has become a world-class scientific, technological, and academic cluster (gathering 15% of France’s R&D and recognized as one of the 8 major hubs in the world for research and innovation).

Quantum technologies are by nature interdisciplinary, and access to talent is seen as a major issue for the future in this field. In this sense, Paris Saclay offers a remarkably diverse framework within its educational institutions (Université Paris Saclay, IP Paris) and flexible relationships between research (students, laboratories) and industrialists and start-ups.

How is Multiverse Computing benefiting from Paris Region’s impressive startup ecosystem? What kind of collaborations have you developed so far?

As soon as it arrived in Paris, Multiverse Computing joined the French Tech Paris-Saclay community as well as the DeepTech Systematic Paris-Region competitiveness cluster, within which we contribute to the drafting of the Quantum Roadmap 2022.

We have also initiated contact with the “Technology for Change” chair at the Institut Polytechnique Paris, where we are conducting awareness-raising campaigns on quantum issues. Moreover, we are already exchanging with many industrialists and start-ups in the Region with the aim of creating promising synergies.

And finally, how would you describe Paris Region in 3 words?

Interdisciplinary, flexibility, sustainability