The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) launched this Thursday its third quantum computer, the EuroQCS-Spain, which joins the MareNostrum5 supercomputer to unite classical computing with both digital and analog quantum computing.
The announcement was made at an event at the BSC headquarters with the participation of the center's director, Mateo Valero; the rector of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Francesc Torres; the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González; the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat.
The EuroQCS-Spain "adds new capabilities to European supercomputing and quantum computing" by incorporating an analog encoding technology that complements the quantum system already operational at the BSC.
During the event, Mateo Valero stressed that "there is no precedent" for a supercomputer like the EuroQCS-Spain and called for administrations to coordinate so that Europe achieves technological sovereignty through the manufacturing of high-speed chips.
For his part, the rector of the UPC, Francesc Torres, pointed out that, with the launch of this new equipment, "a new era begins" with machines that will likely allow us to go "beyond the frontier of knowledge."
Boost to European strategic autonomy
Minister Núria Montserrat highlighted that the commissioning of the computer is "very good news for Catalonia and also for Spain and Europe" and emphasized the importance of continuing to bet on public policies to strengthen this infrastructure within the European and international environment.
She insisted that "through technologies made here in the supercomputer, with Catalan and Spanish public policies, and major alliances with Europe, we are capable of producing our own European technology in pursuit of strategic autonomy so as not to depend on third countries."
In the same vein, Secretary of State María González assured that the new system places Spain "in a position that was unimaginable five years ago" and focused on cooperation between administrations to ensure that projects like EuroQCS-Spain come to fruition.
The Secretary of State Juan Cruz has also defended that the country is ready to stop being solely a user of technology and start generating it: "This computer is clear proof that when there is political will, institutional coordination, and scientific ambition, we can achieve whatever we set out to achieve."
Cruz has highlighted that quantum technology offers calculation capabilities tens of thousands of times superior and, to bring the concept closer to the general public, he has resorted to a simile with science fiction by mentioning the teleportation from the movie Star-Trek: "That has a technological basis, which is quantum."
Investment, Spanish technology, and applications
The development of the new computer has involved an investment of 9.8 million euros, co-financed by the European Commission and the Government, and has been carried out with chips and software designed and produced entirely in Spain by the company Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech.
The system will be accessible to researchers, companies, and public administrations throughout Europe and, with its incorporation, MareNostrum5 becomes "one of the first supercomputers in the world" that integrates classical computing with digital and analog quantum computing.
As explained during the inauguration by the CEO of Qilimajaro Quantum Tech, Marta Estarellas, the analog computer manages algorithms continuously and makes it possible to "simulate problems more precisely."
Estarellas has added that quantum computing accelerates the understanding of nature, for example in the design of new drugs, and improves the optimization of large-scale processes such as electricity grids: "The era of artificial intelligence needs this technology, and it needs to have it at home, sovereign."
Integration into the European quantum network
EuroQCS-Spain will be integrated into the European network of quantum computers of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) infrastructure, which has so far acquired six quantum computers, of which four (located in Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, and France) have already been inaugurated.
The head of the Quantum Technologies sector at the European Commission (EC), Óscar Díez, has assured that Europe has "very solid technological excellence" and has stressed that quantum technologies should not advance in isolation, which is why he has defended cooperation through centers like the BSC.
Finally, the head of R&D at Euro HPC, Daniel Opalka, has stated that Spain incorporates "another part that complements" the quantum computing systems already present at the BSC, with national development and 100% European technology.