The Basque Government opens the IBM Quantum System Two to industry and public entities to boost new innovation and technology transfer projects

The Basque Government has taken a new step in rolling out its quantum strategy by opening up its computing infrastructure to industry and public-sector entities. This opening will be structured through a specific access protocol, led by the Basque Quantum alliance (BasQ), which will regulate the orderly and transparent use of the quantum capabilities of the IBM Quantum System Two installed in Donostia-San Sebastián, as well as the IBM Quantum cloud backends available.

The Regional Minister for Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, and the Regional Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi Letemendia, together with BasQ's scientific director, Javier Aizpurua, presented this protocol to representatives of companies and public entities.

The presentation event, held at the Ikerbasque building in Donostia/San Sebastián, home of the IBM Quantum System Two, was also attended by Adolfo Morais, Deputy Minister for Science and Innovation, and the Deputy Minister for Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Jaione Ganzarain.

The aim of this protocol is to help industry and public entities explore and develop quantum computing use cases with industrial, social and economic potential, while strengthening the transfer of knowledge and technology, driving disruptive innovation and consolidating Euskadi as one of the leading quantum regions at European and global level.

Regional Minister Pérez Iglesias highlighted that with this "protocol, aligned with the recently approved PCTI Euskadi 2030 and the Innovation Lighthouses strategy, we are expanding, both in number and in nature, the network of agents who will have access to and run use cases on Euskadi's quantum computer. BasQ will help these new agents find scientific-technological partners within its network of agents for the development of their projects".

For his part, Regional Minister Jauregi noted that "faced with this new industrial revolution, System Two's quantum technology can position our industry at the forefront. Euskadi has committed to having state-of-the-art quantum infrastructure, and now is the time for Basque industry to take advantage of these capabilities to innovate, become more competitive and take a step up to the next level". 

BasQ's scientific director believes that the establishment of the protocol marks a new milestone in the BasQ strategy. In his view, "besides providing privileged access to state-of-the-art quantum computing technologies, the initiative offers specialized training and support to build capabilities in this field, while connecting companies with leading research groups to drive collaborative projects. In this way, BasQ not only brings the most advanced quantum computing closer to Basque industry, but also strengthens its competitiveness and consolidates an innovation ecosystem based on collaboration".

Applied quantum innovation

This opening broadens the scope of an infrastructure that until now has focused on research and training, as it will allow industry and public entities to develop and validate quantum computing use cases in areas such as optimization, simulation, quantum machine learning and cryptography, through the design of algorithms aimed at solving problems in logistics, finance, transport, the design of new materials, and resistance to cyberattacks, among others.

Access will be prioritized for projects aligned with the strategic objectives of the Euskadi 2030 Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI 2030), the Euskadi 2030 Industry Plan and the Euskadi 2030 Health Plan, and with the capacity to generate returns for the Basque system, such as the dissemination of results, participation in training activities, the sharing of methodological learnings, or contributing to the definition of new use cases of public interest.

The Transformative Projects of the Euskadi 2030 Industry Plan, given their highly innovative nature, are natural candidates for experimenting with quantum technology, tackling complex challenges and generating new business opportunities. When it comes to prioritizing industrial projects, the Basque Government will work together with the Provincial Councils. BasQ will also support startups to accelerate industry's quantum experimentation and learning.

The opening of this infrastructure represents an opportunity for Basque industry and public entities to take a step forward in the practical exploration of quantum computing, accelerate the development of internal capabilities, and connect more directly with a rapidly expanding Basque ecosystem that combines excellent science, unique infrastructures, training programs, and a growing base of scientific, technological, business and public agents.

The protocol sets out different modes of access depending on the profile of the applicant and their ties to Euskadi, giving priority to industry rooted in the region and to Basque public-sector organizations. In all cases, access is conceived as a collaborative relationship with BasQ, meaning that agents will need to take on commitments to give back to the ecosystem in proportion to the access granted. 

Applications must be submitted to access@basquequantum.eus and will be evaluated according to the following technical and strategic criteria: nature of the applicant (start-up, RVCTI R&D&i unit, industrial traction, public body, etc.); scientific-technological, business, industrial or public-organizational returns; technical feasibility of the use case. Once approved, access will be formalized through a collaboration agreement with Ikerbasque, the entity responsible for managing the infrastructure.