Policy Tracker

Basque Government and IBM inaugurate Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two in San Sebastián

14 October 2025
Countries & Organisations

On October 14, 2025, the Basque Government and IBM inaugurated Europe’s first operational IBM Quantum System Two at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computing Center in Donostia-San Sebastián. The system, powered by a 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron processor, was only the third such deployment worldwide and the second outside the United States.

Basque President Imanol Pradales presided over the ceremony, attended by IBM Vice President of Quantum Jay Gambetta and regional officials. The inauguration represented the culmination of the strategic collaboration initiated in March 2023 under the BasQ strategy, which the Basque Government said involved a total investment of €50.8 million (~$55 million).

IBM said the system was designed to scale and integrate multiple processors, enabling utility-scale algorithms that surpass classical simulation capabilities. The IBM-Euskadi team gained access to the system along with other IBM resources.

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