Barcelona will host Europe's largest quantum computing hub

Barcelona reinforces its role within the international quantum computing ecosystem. The British company Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC), which emerged as a spin-off from the University of Oxford, has chosen the Catalan capital to install what will be the largest quantum computing center in Southern Europe.

But what is quantum computing? Or what is it for? This developing technology promises to transform sectors as diverse as health, finance, energy, and artificial intelligence. Unlike conventional computers, which process information in bits with values of 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can represent multiple states at once thanks to the principles of quantum physics.

This capability, still far from everyday use, allows them to tackle extremely complex calculations at a much higher speed than traditional computing, with the potential to accelerate advances in fields such as the development of new drugs, the optimization of energy networks, or the creation of advanced artificial intelligence models.

Barcelona already has prominent players in this field, and now takes a leap in scale with the Oxford spin-off, which will land in the city with an investment of 92 million euros and the creation of 210 jobs over the next five years. Not only that, but these are OQC's first facilities in the European Union and the company's first development and manufacturing center worldwide.

Thus, the new headquarters, which will operate under the name OQC Global Quantum Development & Manufacturing Center, will be dedicated to the design, development, and manufacturing of next-generation quantum computers. The facilities will incorporate laboratories, R&D spaces, system integration zones, and assembly areas to advance a strategic technology for Europe's future competitiveness.

The company plans to begin its installation in Barcelona during the last quarter of 2026. It will do so after recently closing a financing round of almost 300 million euros, the largest achieved so far by a company in the quantum sector at a European level.

Towards European technological sovereignty

The decision by the British company also comes at a time when Europe is seeking to reduce its technological dependence and gain sovereignty in this regard. Quantum computing is among these priority technologies, along with semiconductors and artificial intelligence. In all of them, Barcelona is promoting projects that contribute in this direction, and now it takes this leap in quantum computing.

"When Catalonia sets its mind to it and we work together, we are unstoppable," proclaimed the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, during the announcement at the Palau de la Generalitat. The arrival of OQC in Barcelona has had the support of both the Government and the City Council and the State, as well as Barcelona & Partners, the investment attraction agency of Barcelona Global, which has participated in the project attraction process.

In an event with the minister Miquel Sàmper; the deputy mayor Jordi Valls; the president of Cofides, Ángela Pérez, and Josep Sanfeliu of Barcelona Global, the executive director of OQC, Gerald Mullally, explained that the company chose Barcelona for its center "because it provides the greatest balance between talent, ecosystem, and international connectivity."

The company, founded in 2017, also has a presence in the United States and Japan, and a global workforce of 150 people. Now, an additional 210 people will join the Barcelona center, which will become one of its central pieces for the development of the next generation of European quantum infrastructures.