Alice & Bob Wins €3.4M Grant To Develop Rare-Earth-Free Magnets With Quantum Computing

The funding will support the development of quantum algorithms aimed at discovering rare-earth-free permanent magnets, a key component for electric motors and turbines.

Founded in 2020 by Raphaël Lescanne and Théau Péronnin, Alice & Bob focuses on cat qubits, an advanced quantum technology developed by its founders and later adopted by Amazon.

The company has demonstrated that its approach can cut the hardware needed for large-scale quantum computers by up to 200 times compared to traditional methods.

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Alice & Bob highlight that high-performance magnets are essential for technologies driving the global energy transition. Current magnets such as neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB), depend on rare-earth elements with limited and geopolitically sensitive supply chains.

Finding alternatives is challenging due to the complex quantum interactions that determine magnetic behaviour something classical computers struggle to simulate accurately. Quantum computers, however, can model these systems more efficiently.

To address this, Alice & Bob aim to achieve a 10,000-fold speed-up over current simulations, enabling realistic material calculations in about a day. They plan to demonstrate this using their fault-tolerant quantum systems and theoretical models.

Alice & Bob will lead a three-year project in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, GE Vernova’s Advanced Research accelerator, and Professor Emanuel Gull. The team will combine quantum and classical algorithms to tackle complex materials science challenges.

Los Alamos will focus on developing tensor network tools to optimise quantum circuits, while GE Vernova will conduct techno-economic analysis of new material discovery opportunities enabled by the approach.

If successful, the project could accelerate the development of more affordable and sustainable magnets for energy and industrial applications. The technology could also be adapted to solve broader challenges in chemistry and materials science.

“Designing high-performance magnets without rare earth elements is one of the hardest problems in material science, as these materials are extremely difficult to simulate with classical computers. A hybrid approach where classical methods compute environmental parameters and quantum computers simulate highly correlated electronic systems more accurately could significantly accelerate the discovery of new magnetic materials,” said Juliette Peyronnet, U.S General Manager at Alice & Bob.