BACQ: French benchmarks to measure real quantum performance
A METRIQs-France project building open benchmarks to compare quantum computers on concrete tasks.
BACQ is a French project developing open benchmarks to evaluate quantum computers on concrete tasks. Coordinated by Thales within the METRIQs-France programme, it runs from 2023 to 2026 with a budget of about 4 million euros.
Why it matters
Comparing quantum machines is hard, and marketing claims are common. Shared, application-oriented benchmarks help users judge real progress, pick the right machine and support standardisation.
Key takeaways
- BACQ is coordinated by Thales, with Eviden, CEA, CNRS, Teratec and LNE, within the METRIQs-France programme run by France's national metrology laboratory.
- It has a budget of about 4 million euros and runs from September 2023 to November 2026.
- The benchmarks cover optimisation, linear systems, quantum simulation, factoring and energy efficiency.
- According to Frédéric Barbaresco, a set of metrics is being consolidated for open release on GitHub.
BACQ is a French R&D project building benchmarks to evaluate quantum computers on real, user-relevant tasks. It sits within METRIQs-France, the national programme on quantum metrology led by the LNE, and is coordinated by Thales, alongside Eviden, CEA, CNRS and Teratec. Its budget is about 4 million euros, over September 2023 to November 2026.
The idea is to move past raw qubit counts toward a reliable way to compare machines. The benchmarks span optimisation, linear systems, quantum simulation, factoring and energy efficiency, so results can be read across very different technologies.
Reporting a project progress meeting on LinkedIn, Frédéric Barbaresco recalled Lord Kelvin's line that what cannot be measured cannot be improved, and said a set of metrics is being consolidated for open release on GitHub.
Technology
Use case
Organization
Country / Region
Keep exploring
ColibriTD raises 4 million euros to push quantum simulation into industry
The Paris start-up's hybrid algorithm targets differential equations, the core of multiphysics simulation, with pilot projects at Thales, ESA and BMW.
ColibriTD, a Paris deep-tech founded in 2019, closed a 4 million euro seed round on 27 August 2026, led by Earlybird Venture Capital. The company develops H-DES, a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for solving differential equations, and says it has completed seven co-construction projects with partners including Thales, the European Space Agency and BMW.
Alliancy·27 Aug 2026
QbitSoft joins Le Village by CA Paris with a quantum-as-a-service pitch
A small French software company that wants to plug quantum optimisation algorithms into ordinary enterprise systems, without tying customers to one machine.
Le Village by CA Paris, Crédit Agricole's start-up campus, announced in early September 2026 the arrival of QbitSoft, a French company offering quantum as a service: a hardware-independent software layer to integrate quantum optimisation algorithms into corporate information systems. Target uses range from route optimisation and network planning to insurance, fraud detection, finance and defence.
Le Village by CA Paris·1 Sept 2026
The Annales des Mines devote two volumes to the second quantum revolution
Sovereignty, partnerships, applications and the needs of end users, in the May and August 2026 issues of Réalités industrielles.
The Annales des Mines have published, in May and August 2026, a two-volume issue of Réalités industrielles titled *La seconde révolution quantique : enjeux de souveraineté et de partenariats*, coordinated by François Gerin, Frédéric Barbaresco and Fabrice Dupuy. The second volume includes an article by Joseph Mikael and Emmanuelle Vergnaud on what end users need from quantum machines at the scale of a thousand logical qubits.
Annales des Mines·26 Aug 2026