‘Journey to Quantum Advantage’ Report by the IBM Institute for Business Value
The Basque Country has earned a prominent place in the global race for quantum computing thanks to a long-term strategy that combines public investment, scientific collaboration, and business engagement. This is highlighted in the report «Journey to Quantum Advantage» by the IBM Institute for Business Value, which identifies Euskadi as one of the regions laying the foundations for the future quantum economy.
IBM includes the Basque case in its analysis of «ecosystems in action,» a category focused on regions capable of building stable networks among governments, universities, research centers, startups, and large corporations in order to accelerate quantum readiness. Within this context, the Basque Quantum Strategy (BasQ) is presented as one of the strongest examples of how an early commitment can translate into international positioning.
A Strategic Commitment
According to the report, the Basque Country’s journey in this field began approximately a decade ago, when the Basque Government identified quantum science and technology as a strategic priority. This decision has gone far beyond a standalone technology program, resulting in a cross-sector collaborative framework aimed at both fundamental research and industrial applications.
IBM highlights that the Basque ecosystem brings together universities, public research centers, applied mathematics institutes, startups, established industrial companies, and public institutions. This network is already working on areas such as electronic structure, partial differential equation solving, high-energy physics, financial optimization, biomedical research, and accelerated artificial intelligence.
A Model with Global Reach
According to the report, the greatest strength of the Basque model lies in the alignment between government, the scientific community, and industry. This coordination has enabled the transition from strategic vision to a tangible ecosystem capable of generating talent, attracting investment, and developing use cases with significant economic potential.
IBM compares BasQ to other leading international ecosystems, including those associated with Volkswagen, Tokyo Electron, Singapore, and Bradesco, reinforcing the idea that Euskadi is already competing on a global stage. The report argues that quantum advantage will depend not only on hardware, but also on the ability of regions to build lasting partnerships and transform knowledge into competitiveness.
A Strategic Asset for Industry
The Basque commitment is further supported by infrastructure and collaborations that strengthen its international credibility. The deployment of the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center and the arrival of Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two in Donostia–San Sebastián reinforce Euskadi’s position as a key node within the European quantum ecosystem.
For the business community, this position represents a major opportunity. Access to advanced quantum capabilities can open new pathways in strategic sectors such as energy, biomedicine, industry, and finance, while accelerating the development of specialized talent and high-value-added solutions.
Basque Government Opens IBM Quantum System Two to Industry and Public Sector Organizations to Drive New Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Projects
The Basque Government has taken another significant step in implementing its quantum strategy by opening its quantum computing infrastructure to industry and public sector organizations. This initiative will be implemented through a dedicated 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 quantum backends available through IBM Quantum Cloud.
The Minister for Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, the Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi Letemendia, and BasQ Scientific Director Javier Aizpurua presented the protocol to representatives of companies and public institutions.
The presentation event, held at the Ikerbasque building in Donostia–San Sebastián, home to the IBM Quantum System Two, also included the participation of Adolfo Morais, Deputy Minister for Science and Innovation, and Jaione Ganzarain, Deputy Minister for Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation.
The objective of the protocol is to enable industry and public organizations to explore and develop quantum computing use cases with industrial, social, and economic potential, while strengthening knowledge and technology transfer, fostering disruptive innovation, and consolidating Euskadi as one of the leading quantum regions in Europe and worldwide.
Minister Pérez Iglesias emphasized that, through this protocol, «aligned with the recently approved Euskadi 2030 Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI Euskadi 2030) and the Innovation Lighthouses Strategy, we are expanding both the number and diversity of stakeholders that will gain access to and develop use cases on Euskadi’s quantum computer. BasQ will support these new participants in identifying scientific and technological partners within its network to help develop their projects.»
For his part, Minister Jauregi stated that «in the face of this new industrial revolution, the technology of System Two can position our industry at the forefront. Euskadi has invested in state-of-the-art quantum infrastructure, and now it is time for Basque industry to leverage these capabilities to innovate, become more competitive, and take a leap to the next level.»
BasQ’s Scientific Director considers the establishment of the protocol a new milestone in the BasQ strategy. In his view, «in addition to providing privileged access to cutting-edge quantum computing technologies, the initiative offers specialized training and support for capability development in this field, while connecting companies with leading research groups to promote collaborative projects. In this way, BasQ not only brings the most advanced quantum computing technologies closer to Basque industry, but also strengthens its competitiveness and consolidates a collaborative innovation ecosystem.»
Applied Quantum Innovation
This opening expands the scope of an infrastructure that until now has primarily focused on research and training. Industry and public organizations will now be able 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 challenges related to logistics, finance, transportation, new materials development, and cybersecurity, among others.
Access will be primarily directed toward projects aligned with the strategic objectives of the Euskadi 2030 Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI 2030), the Euskadi 2030 Industrial Plan, and the Euskadi 2030 Health Plan. Priority will also be given to projects capable of generating benefits for the Basque innovation system through the dissemination of results, participation in training activities, the sharing of methodological insights, or contributions to the development of new public-interest use cases.
The Transformative Projects of the Euskadi 2030 Industrial Plan, due to their highly innovative nature, are natural candidates for experimenting with quantum technologies, addressing complex challenges, and creating new business opportunities. When prioritizing industrial projects, the Basque Government will collaborate with the Provincial Councils. BasQ will also promote startups in order to accelerate quantum experimentation and learning across industry.
The opening of this infrastructure represents a significant opportunity for Basque industry and public organizations to advance their practical exploration of quantum computing, accelerate the development of internal capabilities, and connect more directly with a rapidly expanding Basque ecosystem that combines scientific excellence, unique infrastructure, training programs, and a growing network of scientific, technological, business, and public stakeholders.
The protocol establishes different access modalities depending on the applicant’s profile and connection to Euskadi, giving priority to companies with a strong presence in the region and to Basque public-sector organizations. In all cases, access is conceived as a collaborative relationship with BasQ, meaning that participating organizations will be expected to make proportional contributions to the ecosystem in return.
