Representación institucional frente al ordenador cuántico IBM System 2, Ikerbasque.

Actualidad

14 Oct 2025

The Basque Government and IBM inaugurate Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two in Donostia/San Sebastian

• The IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center now offers its members access to one of the most powerful quantum computers in the world

• The IBM-BasQ partnership will foster global scientific collaborations in fundamental physics and materials science

• Imanol Pradales: “We are in a position to harness the quantum advantage we have given ourselves. We need to focus on those areas that are strategic for the Basque Country"

The Basque Government and IBM today unveiled Europe’s first operational IBM Quantum System Two (the third in the world), installed at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in Donostia/San Sebastian. The installation of this system marks a milestone in the strategic collaboration between the two entities, which began in 2023 within the framework of the BasQ - Basque Quantum initiative, promoted by the Basque Government to consolidate the Basque Country’s position as an international hub for quantum technologies.

The system installed in the new Ikerbasque building at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center, was inaugurated this morning at an institutional ceremony presided over by the President of the Basque Government, Imanol Pradales, with speeches by Jay Gambetta, Vice President of IBM Quantum; Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government, Eider Mendoza, Deputy General of Gipuzkoa, Eneko Goia, the Mayor of San Sebastian and Horacio Morell, President of IBM Spain.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the First and Second Vice Presidents of the Basque Government, the Deputies General of Araba and Bizkaia, among others, together with a large representation from the scientific, institutional and business spheres.

This installation of IBM Quantum System Two is only the second such deployment of this system outside the United States. It is powered by a 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron processor, one of the best quantum processors the company has developed to date. This system has been designed to be scaled up and integrate multiple processors in the future, and marks a technological milestone by enabling the execution of utility-scale algorithms, surpassing the capabilities of classic simulation.

The President of the Basque Government, Imanol Pradales, stressed the Basque Government's commitment to research, innovation and progress. “Aware of our size, and taking a risk, we decided once again to compete among the best". Pradales said. “The two-year collaboration with the BasQ scientific team has led to important results in the fields of materials science and high-energy physics. Our goal now is for our teams to consolidate a growing ecosystem with Europe's first IBM Quantum System Two, powered by our best-in-class IBM Quantum Heron quantum processor,” said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Felken.

An infrastructure for knowledge and industry of the future

By taking this step, the Basque Country will consolidate its position by playing a key role in IBM's global quantum computing network and reinforce its ambition to be a leader in the development of this emerging technology.

About the Basque Government's commitment to Quantum

The Basque Government's commitment to quantum computing began in 2019 with the IKUR Strategy, which identified this field as one of the priority scientific areas for the Basque Country, along with neuroscience, neutronics and artificial intelligence. The collaboration with IBM was announced in March 2023 as part of this strategy, with the aim of setting up a quantum center and deploying an IBM Quantum system in the Basque Country, representing an important step towards positioning the territory at the forefront of quantum science and innovation. This commitment was reinforced in March 2025, with the announcement that Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two would be installed in the Basque Country.

The Basque Government's commitment to quantum technologies took shape under the name of BasQ - Basque Quantum, an initiative led by the Basque Government's Department of Science, Universities and Innovation, in collaboration with the Provincial Councils of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. Beyond being a technological facility, BasQ was created as an comprehensive ecosystem designed to boost quantum science, train talent, attract investment and develop applications in strategic sectors such as energy, industry, biomedicine and artificial intelligence.

The IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center The mission of the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center, home of the IBM_BasqueCountry system, is to promote the use of advanced quantum technologies in the Basque Country, strengthen high-level scientific research and foster international collaboration. It also aims to consolidate an ecosystem of excellence by training specialised talent and generating knowledge in a strategic area for the future.

About Ikerbasque

In 2007, the Basque Government created Ikerbasque to strengthen the Basque scientific system by attracting, recruiting and retaining researchers from all over the world. The Basque Foundation for Science is a consolidated organisation, with 373 researchers from 35 countries, from all areas of knowledge, who are currently working at 25 associated institutions.

More information on Basque Quantum web page.