Analog Quantum Computer Launched in Barcelona

Scientists at Spain's BSC have launched an analog quantum computer.

Scientists at Spain’s Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) have commissioned the Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech analog quantum computer.

The installation is part of the EuroQCS-Spain project. It is integrated into the MareNostrum-Ona hybrid platform alongside the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer.

The system is categorized as an analog adiabatic quantum processor. A contract between EuroHPC JU, Qilimanjaro, and integrator Do IT Now was signed in January 2025.

The project costs €8.5 million, co-financed by EuroHPC JU and Spain’s State Secretariat for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.

Access to the system will not be limited to BSC specialists. The infrastructure will be available to European researchers and companies through EuroHPC JU and the Spanish Supercomputing Network procedures.

The first version includes at least 10 physical qubits. Future generations are promised to increase the number of qubits and coherence time.

The new installation has strengthened BSC’s quantum capabilities. The EuroQCS-Spain project combines the analog system with a digital quantum computer and emulator already housed at the center, forming a heterogeneous environment alongside classical capabilities.

Declared application scenarios include optimization, material modeling, chemistry, and AI.

Back in May, Quantus highlighted the crypto market’s unpreparedness for the quantum threat.