The European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has signed a procurement contract for Europe’s first quantum annealer.

Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech is the chosen vendor for the system, dubbed MareNostrum-Ona.

The quantum annealer will integrate into Spain’s MareNostrum 5 supercomputer and launch with at least 10 qubits in 2025.

The project cost €8.5 million ($8.9m) and was jointly funded by the EuroHPC JU and the EuroQCS-Spain Consortium, which includes the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Institute for High Energy Physics (Institut de Fisica d'Altes Energies, IFAE) in Spain, and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Portugal.

MareNostrum-Ona will be an analog quantum computer in the form of a quantum annealer. This is based on the physical process of annealing, which involves the heating and cooling of a material to reduce its energy.

In a statement, the EuroHPC JU said the system will be made available to European users from the scientific community, industry, and the public sector.

“As Europe’s first quantum annealer, it will complement the quantum technologies available to European researchers, providing unique tools for advanced research and innovation,” the statement read.

“This addition will support the broader EuroHPC JU strategy to provide European users with access to a diverse range of quantum computing platforms.”

Launched in 2018 and headquartered in Luxembourg, EuroHPC JU is a joint initiative between the EU, 35 European countries, and private partners to develop a supercomputing ecosystem in Europe.

Its mission is to develop, deploy, extend, and maintain a secure and connected supercomputing and quantum computing ecosystem, while supporting the development of key high-performance computing skills for European science and industry.

In 2024, EuroHPC signed procurement contracts for four European quantum computers in Poland, Czechia, France, and Germany, in addition to selecting and signing hosting agreements for two additional quantum computers in Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Two additional analog quantum simulators procured under the EuroHPC JU project HPCQS (High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator) – the Joliot-Curie of GENCI and the JURECA modular supercomputer at the Julich Supercomputing Centre (JSC).

In September, DCD exclusively reported that GENCI is set to retire its Joliot-Curie supercomputer once its Alice Recoque exascale machine comes online.