In January 2022, a consortium of seven companies and five research centers launched the CUCO project, Spain’s first major public-private quantum computing initiative applied to strategic economic sectors. The project was funded by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation under the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.
The consortium brought together Amatech, BBVA, DAS Photonics, GMV, Multiverse Computing, Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, and Repsol from the private sector, with research support from BSC, CSIC, DIPC, ICFO, Tecnalia, and the Universitat Politècnica de València. The project focused on quantum algorithm development for energy, finance, space, defense, and logistics applications.
Use cases under the project covered Earth observation, climate change mitigation, supply chain optimization, complex financial calculations, and signals intelligence. The project was structured to facilitate future participation in EU programs including Quantum Flagship, Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, and the European Defence Fund.