ESPOO, FINLAND-- July 02, 2021 -- IQM Quantum Computers (IQM) expands its operations to Spain, creating a subsidiary in Bilbao. This operation has been supported by Basque local administration via Provincial Council of Bizkaia and Bilbao City Hall.

With its Spain operations, IQM aims to tap into another hotspot for quantum computing in addition to its Finland and Germany offices. IQM Spain will collaborate closely with the local research community, quantum experts from academia and the industry to build a vibrant Spanish and European quantum ecosystem. IQM with its international partner network will also connect the Spanish quantum ecosystem to the global quantum network.

“QUTIS Center in University of the Basque Country Bilbao has outstanding experience and experts in quantum computation and simulation, quantum control, quantum sensing and other areas. Today’s announcement signals our commitment to accelerate the success of our application-specific quantum computers, and aggressively develop quantum finance offerings for our customers worldwide,” said Jan Goetz, CEO at IQM. “Local Public Administration, via Beaz and Bilbao Ekintza, have been extremely supportive and are committed to attracting best talent and growth companies. We look forward to working with their team to grow our Co-Design offering from Spain and deliver it globally.”

The technical goal for this Spanish subsidiary is to create a quantum finance Co-Design hub that tightens the interaction between hardware and software to solve problems in finance. In particular, IQM Spain will develop an application-specific approach where quantum software integrates closely with a suitably designed quantum hardware with novel quantum architectures. Combined with IQM's hardware experts and go-to market teams in Finland and Germany, IQM will be able to deliver this offering to global customers. This approach accelerates the development of useful quantum solutions for specialized financial applications and will establish Spain and Europe as the leaders for quantum finance.

Last year, IQM had also entered into a research agreement with the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in Bilbao, a collaboration led by Dr. Jorge Casanova (Ramón y Cajal and Ikerbasque researcher at UPV/EHU) and includes Dr. Mikel Sanz (Ikerbasque Researcher at UPV/EHU) and Prof. Xi Chen (Professor at Shanghai University and Ramon y Cajal researcher at UPV/EHU).

Ms. Olatz Goitia, General Manager of Beaz, said, “We work to turn the territory into an innovation hub of international reference, and to this end, the retention and attraction of talent and entrepreneurship and companies like IQM is key.”

Mr. Javier Garcinuño Zabala, General Manager of Bilbao Ekintza, said, “We’re pleased to see European growth companies like IQM start their Spanish operations in Bilbao. Our BIG Bilbao entrepreneurship centre will support their local operations and Bilbao Ekintza will also collaborate with IQM on joint projects in Bilbao’s strategic economic sectors.”