Quantum Spain, the new project coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), which started on 1 January 2022, foresees the construction and installation of the first quantum computer in southern Europe based on European technology that will be operational by the end of 2022. Its strategic objective is to create a solid quantum computing ecosystem in Spain, harnessing and boosting the talent of local researchers with expertise in this technology.
Promoted by the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA) of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transformation, the project involves 25 universities, infrastructure, and supercomputing centres from 14 autonomous communities. It will be managed by the BSC, as the main node of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES). Alba Cervera, senior researcher in the department of Computational Applications for Science and Engineering (CASE) at the BSC, will be the project coordinator.
This programme is fully aligned with the European commitment to quantum computing through the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which promotes European capabilities in supercomputing. The Commission and the countries’ aim is to provide European HPC users with quantum computers embedded in large Supercomputing centres, such as the BSC. This will coincide with the growing demand for this type of computing from industry and the world and will foster the emergence of real-world use case applications in Europe.