OVHcloud has integrated Belenos, the photonic quantum computer from Quandela, into its cloud-based quantum computing platform. The announcement reinforces the European provider’s commitment to bringing this technology closer to businesses, research centers, and organizations eager to start experimenting with quantum algorithms without the need to deploy their own infrastructure.
The arrival of Belenos on the OVHcloud Quantum Platform was announced at the Quantum Defense Forum and marks a new step in the Quantum-as-a-Service model—a approach that provides on-demand access to quantum resources, pay-as-you-go billing, and no long-term commitments. The French company thus offers a more accessible way for organizations to test real use cases, build technical teams, and evaluate the potential of quantum computing within their own processes.
A 12-Qubit Photonic Quantum Computer
Belenos, developed by Quandela, is based on photonic quantum technology and offers a computing power of 12 qubits. While still oriented toward experimentation and early development, its availability via the cloud allows more users to work with this technology without needing specialized labs or high-cost investments.
Photonic quantum computing uses particles of light, photons, as the foundation for processing quantum information. This approach is one of the most active research areas in the sector and is especially interesting for its potential energy efficiency and future integration into larger architectures.
OVHcloud and Quandela target applications such as image classification and generation, accelerating artificial intelligence calculations, and quantum machine learning (QML). They also point to potential uses in electromagnetic simulation, structural mechanics, engine combustion, materials science, meteorology, and earth observation.
It is important to note that many of these use cases are still in research, testing, or early development phases. The significance of this announcement is not that quantum computing will immediately replace classical systems but that more organizations can begin to understand its limits, possibilities, and programming models.
Quantum-as-a-Service to Democratize Access
OVHcloud’s Quantum Platform was launched last fall with the goal of making quantum computing accessible through a flexible consumption model. With Belenos, the platform broadens its catalog of cloud-accessible quantum computers and reinforces a strategy the company has been developing since 2022.
Since then, OVHcloud has made a range of quantum simulators based on its own infrastructure available to users. The company reports serving over a thousand users and offering 15 quantum simulators, including Perceval and MerLin, with prices starting at €0.03 per hour.
These simulators play an important role. Before running workloads on real quantum hardware, many companies and research teams need to familiarize themselves with different computing models, test algorithms, and understand how their problems behave in simulated environments. This prior learning lowers entry barriers and makes the transition to actual quantum hardware more rational.
Belenos will be offered on a pay-as-you-go basis, billed by the second. This aligns with the cloud model: paying for resources used, experimenting with minimal initial investments, and scaling usage as each project evolves.
Europe Seeks Its Own Place in the Quantum Race
This announcement also carries a strategic message. Quantum computing has become one of the technological fields where Europe is seeking greater autonomy, talent, and industrial capacity. Against the dominance of major U.S. and Asian players across various layers of the digital sector, projects like OVHcloud and Quandela strengthen a European alternative in infrastructure, hardware, and cloud services.
Miroslaw Kłaba, R&D Director at OVHcloud, stated that integrating Belenos fulfills the promise of the quantum platform and positions the group within the European cloud ecosystem. Niccolò Somaschi, CEO and co-founder of Quandela, emphasized that cloud access turns this photonic computer into a tangible tool for companies, data scientists, and innovators.
Technological sovereignty underpins the entire approach. OVHcloud has been advocating for a European cloud model based on value chain control, own data centers, predictable prices, and data autonomy for years. Adding quantum computing creates a new layer to this narrative since access to advanced hardware can be decisive in sectors such as defense, industry, research, energy, health, or scientific simulation.
The integration of Belenos alone does not solve the major challenges of quantum computing, such as scalability, error correction, or demonstrating practical advantages over classical computing. However, it makes it possible for more organizations to start working with the technology now while the sector moves toward more powerful systems.
Thus, OVHcloud and Quandela position Belenos as one component within a long-term transition. Quantum computing is not yet in a mass adoption phase, but cloud platform access could accelerate early adoption and help European companies stay on track with a technology poised to impact very specific computational problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Belenos?
Belenos is a 12-qubit photonic quantum computer developed by Quandela and integrated into OVHcloud’s Quantum Platform.
How will it be accessible via OVHcloud?
It will be available through a Quantum-as-a-Service model, with cloud access, pay-as-you-go billing, second-based invoicing, and no long-term commitments.
What can this type of quantum computing be used for?
It can be used to experiment with algorithms in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum machine learning, materials simulation, meteorology, earth observation, and complex scientific calculations.
