The Basque Government and IBM have launched Europe's first IBM Quantum System Two at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in San Sebastián. This development is part of the BasQ – Basque Quantum initiative, which began in 2023 to establish the Basque Country as a center for quantum technologies.

The new system, located on the Ikerbasque Foundation's main campus, was introduced during a ceremony attended by officials from the Basque Government, IBM, and local authorities. Among the speakers were Imanol Pradales, President of the Basque Country Government; Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research; Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, Minister of Science, Universities, and Innovation of the Basque Government; Eider Mendoza, Deputy General of Gipuzkoa; Eneko Goia, Mayor of San Sebastián; and Horacio Morell, General Manager of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel.

The IBM Quantum System Two in San Sebastián is only the second of its kind outside the United States. It features a 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron processor and is designed to be scalable for future integration of multiple processors. The system enables the execution of utility-scale algorithms that exceed the capabilities of classical simulation.

Basque President Imanol Pradales stated, "The Basque Government's focus is on the areas that are strategic for our country. Our driving force is the Basque quantum strategy, which is taking a giant step forward today. The Basque quantum strategy will allow us to be a magnet for generating knowledge and attracting talent. It will allow us to connect with other knowledge and innovation hubs and ecosystems to gain competitiveness and development as a country. And it will also allow us to align ourselves with Europe's resilience and reindustrialization strategy, leveraging investment in infrastructure and technologies essential for the transformations we must face as a continent and country."

Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow, said, "The two-year collaboration with BasQ's team of scientists has already led to important research results in materials science and high energy physics. Now, I'm looking forward to what our teams will accomplish as the region's growing ecosystem taps into Europe's first IBM Quantum System Two, powered by our best IBM Quantum Heron quantum processor."

Members of the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center now have access to this system along with other IBM resources. These resources are intended to help build a quantum ecosystem in Southern Europe, support economic development, and develop new algorithms aligned with the Basque Country Government's IKUR 2030 vision for quantum technologies. Efforts in algorithm development will focus on applications in strategic sectors such as energy, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence.

The installation strengthens the Basque Country’s position within IBM’s global quantum computing network and supports its ambition to lead in this field. The initiative also involves developing training programs to establish the region as a source of quantum talent.

IBM provides hybrid cloud and AI services for clients in over 175 countries. Its innovations in AI and quantum computing aim to offer flexible solutions for digital transformation across industries such as financial services, telecommunications, and healthcare. More information about IBM’s research can be found at https://research.ibm.com.

Ikerbasque was established by the Basque Government in 2007 to attract researchers worldwide and currently includes 373 researchers from 35 countries working across 25 institutions.