  We propose a scalable analog quantum simulator for quantum electrodynamics
(QED) in two spatial dimensions. The setup for the U(1) lattice gauge field
theory employs inter-species spin-changing collisions in an ultra-cold atomic
mixture trapped in an optical lattice. Building on the previous one-dimensional
implementation scheme of Ref. [1] we engineer spatial plaquette terms for
magnetic fields, thus solving a major obstacle towards experimental
realizations of realistic gauge theories in higher dimensions. We apply our
approach to pure gauge theory and discuss how the phenomenon of confinement of
electric charges can be described by the quantum simulator.
