The launch of IBM Quantum System Two marks Europe’s quantum moment

this month, IBM It will launch Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two, our most advanced quantum computer, at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in San Sebastian, Spain.

As artificial intelligence reaches its peak, quantum computing is emerging as the next great technology transformation, worth an estimated $850 billion by 2040. UNESCO has even named 2025 the year 2025. International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. If Europe seizes this opportunity, quantum computing has the potential to be a true differentiator for the continent, shaping our economy and the world for the better.

Achieving this goal will require developing a political strategy that favors technology neutrality, harnessing open source software, and prioritizing funding for research into developing algorithms and applications, with a low barrier to access. Fortunately, Europe’s strong leadership in the physical sciences and technical expertise provides the ideal starting point.

You might ask, in a world with computing power accelerated by artificial intelligence, why do we need quantum computers? There are simply complex problems that cannot be solved by classical computers, such as molecular simulation for drug discovery, materials science, and large-scale systems optimization in finance and logistics.

This year, the UK financial services group HSBC published research Which demonstrated what is believed to be the world’s first known experimental evidence of the potential value of quantum computers for solving real-world problems in algorithmic bond trading. and E.ONone of the largest energy companies in Europe exploration How quantum can improve energy prices amid volatile weather or different usage patterns from newly electrified sectors.

In addition to unlocking maximum efficiency for energy grids and financial services, other opportunities are being explored on how quantum could improve global shipping, and to help understand complex chemical reactions that could lead to the discovery of new materials and medicines.

Quantum infrastructure for Europe’s quantum ecosystem

The launch of Quantum System Two follows the deployment of the first European quantum data center last year with multiple installations of our best quantum computers in Germany.

The efforts in the Basque Country represent a microcosm of what could happen across Europe. The quantum computer at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in San Sebastian expands the region’s embrace of technology that began years ago, technology that has also helped unite scientists across the continent.

These rapid deployments to meet growing user demand are exactly what Europe needs to ensure that its industries, research institutions and governments play a leading role in the successful use of technology. Most importantly, it will advance the European Commission’s Quantum Europe Strategy, which seeks to position Europe as a global quantum leader by 2030.

One hundred years ago, IBM began its work in Spain by creating tabulating machines for the country’s national telephone and telegraph company, the pinnacle of technology at the time that was essential in connecting people and businesses. A century later, IBM is offering industries, research institutions and governments in Europe a data center for quantum computers, and the continent’s first IBM Quantum System II, as important pieces of a similarly transformative moment. By working together now, the continent’s ecosystem can drive the development of these quantum applications with advantages that were not possible before.

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