IBM and the Basque Government have unveiled Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in San Sebastián.
The IBM Quantum System Two, installed at the Ikerbasque Foundation’s main campus within the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center, was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by key dignitaries.
Highlights included remarks from the President of the Basque Government, Imanol Pradales; Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research; Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, Basque Minister of Science, Universities, and Innovation; 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 event also welcomed the First and Second Vice-Lehendakari, Ibone Bengoetxea and Mikel Torres; Deputies General of Álava and Bizkaia, Ramiro González and Elixabete Etxanobe; along with representatives from academia, government, and industry.
The IBM Quantum System Two installed in San Sebastián is only the second deployment outside the US. It features a 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron processor, one of IBM’s highest-performing quantum processors to date.
Designed for scalability and future integration of multiple processors, the system represents a major technological milestone, enabling the execution of utility-scale algorithms that exceed the capabilities of classical brute-force simulations.
“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,”
said Basque President Imanol Pradales.
“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,”
said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow.
