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Basque Government and IBM Unveil Europe’s First IBM Quantum System Two in San Sebastián

A €153 million BasQ–IKUR commitment aims to turn Euskadi into a talent magnet with practical quantum applications.

Overview

  • The installed system uses a 156-qubit IBM Heron processor and is only the second System Two deployed outside the United States.
  • Housed at the IBMEuskadi Quantum Computational Center on Ikerbasque’s campus, the machine is now available to members for research and algorithm development.
  • The Basque Government has committed €153 million through 2028 for the computer, the new building and maintenance, with reported costs of about €50 million for the system and €18 million for the facility.
  • Early efforts emphasize hybrid workflows that combine the quantum system with classical supercomputing to pursue applications in materials, energy, biomedicine and artificial intelligence.
  • More than 300 guests, including regional leaders and IBM executives, attended the inauguration, highlighting the project’s political and industrial significance.