The BSC, selected to host one of the first European quantum computers

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) has been selected to host one of the first European quantum computers, as announced by the institution this Monday. The new infrastructure ---which will be integrated into the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer--- will join five other quantum computers that will be located in different countries, and which will together form the first European network dedicated to this type of computing.

The new computer is expected to have the potential to "significantly increase" the impact of research and innovation by enabling solutions that exceed the capabilities of current supercomputers. The investment in Barcelona will amount to 12.5 million euros, co-financed 50% by the EU and by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.

This milestone will allow the BSC to play "a decisive role" in Europe in a technology that "will be part of the society of the future," according to the director of the BSC, Mateo Valero, reports ACN. He also considers that having been selected to host one of the first European quantum computers "reinforces the role" of the institution "as one of the leaders in supercomputing in Europe."

The new European quantum computing network will be available in the second half of 2023, mainly for research and development purposes, for a wide range of users, such as scientific communities, industry, and the public sector, regardless of which EU country they are in.

In addition to Spain, the other five countries selected by EuroHPC JU have been Germany, Czechia, France, Italy, and Poland. The new quantum computers are expected to be able to solve complex problems more quickly in areas such as health, climate change, logistics, or energy use.