January 28, 2025 -- The procurement contract for MareNostrum-Ona, the EuroHPC quantum computer to be located in Spain, has been signed by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) and Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, the selected vendor.

MareNostrum-Ona will be an "analogue quantum computer" in the form of a quantum annealer. The first-generation system will offer at least 10 physical qubits, with capabilities increasing in both coherence times and number of qubits by the third generation.  

The new system will be accessible to a wide range of European users, from the scientific community to industry and the public sector. The upcoming quantum computing infrastructure will enable the development of applications with high industrial, scientific, and societal relevance across Europe, adding new capabilities to the European supercomputing landscape. As the first European quantum annealer, it will complement the quantum technologies available to European researchers, providing unique tools for advanced research and innovation. This addition will support the broader EuroHPC JU strategy to provide European users with access to a diverse range of quantum computing platforms.

Owned by the EuroHPC JU, the system will be hosted and operated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) in Spain.  MareNostrum-Ona will complement the digital gate-based quantum computer that BSC already hosts, and which was procured under the Quantum Spain initiative. These two quantum systems will be integrated into the EuroHPC world-class supercomputer MareNostrum 5 (MN5).

The name "MareNostrum-Ona" refers to the wave function that represents the quantum state. It is also a woman's name that evokes the sea, similar to MareNostrum, the name of the supercomputer it will be integrated into.

EuroHPC quantum computer MareNostrum-Ona is co-funded with a total acquisition cost of EUR 8.5 million. The EuroHPC JU will fund 50% of the costs and the remaining 50% will be funded by the EuroQCS-Spain Consortium. The EuroQCS-Spain consortium is led by BSC, and includes Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) from Spain and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Portugal.

The installation of the system will start in 2025.