When Europe looks to the East and the West, one question stands out: how can our countries come together to lead in tomorrow’s technological landscape—and in which domains should we focus our expertise? What is needed to prepare for the future?

This month, IBM will launch Europe’s first IBM Quantum System Two, our most advanced quantum computer, at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in San Sebastian, Spain.

While artificial Intelligence reaches a fever pitch, quantum computing is emerging as the next great technological transformation, with an estimated value of $850 billion by 2040. UNESCO even named 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. If Europe seizes this opportunity, quantum computing has the power to be a genuine differentiator for the continent, and shape our economy, and world, for the better.

Getting there will require a policy strategy that favors technological neutrality, harnesses open-source software, prioritizes funding for algorithm and application development research, and has a low barrier of access. Thankfully, Europe’s strong leadership in the physical sciences and technical expertise provides the perfect springboard.

You may ask, in a world of AI-accelerated computing capacity, why do we need quantum computers? Simply put, there are complex problems that cannot be solved by classical computers, such as simulating molecules for drug discovery and materials science and optimizing large-scale systems in finance and logistics.

This year, UK financial services group HSBC published research that demonstrated what is believed to be the world’s first-known empirical evidence of the potential value of quantum computers for solving real-world problems in algorithmic bond trading. And E.ON, one of Europe’s largest energy companies, is exploring how quantum can improve energy pricing amid volatile weather or different usage patterns from newly electrified sectors.

In addition to unlocking the maximum efficiency of energy grids and financial services, other opportunities are being explored in how quantum could optimize global shipping, and to help understand the complex chemical reactions that could lead to the discovery of new materials and medicines.

Quantum Infrastructure for Europe’s Quantum Ecosystem

The launch of Quantum System Two follows the deployment last year of our first European quantum data center with multiple installations of our best quantum computers in Germany.

Efforts in the Basque Country represent a microcosm of what could happen across all of Europe. The quantum computer at the IBM-Euskadi Quantum Computational Center in San Sebastian expands the region’s embrace of the technology that started years ago—one that has also served to unite scientists across the continent.

These rapid deployments to meet the increasing user demand are exactly what Europe needs to ensure its industries, research institutions, and governments play a leading role in the successful use of the technology. Most importantly, they will further the European Commission’s Quantum Europe Strategy, which seeks to position Europe as a global leader in quantum by 2030.

One hundred years ago, IBM got its start in Spain setting up tabulating machines for the country’s national telephone and telegraph company—peak technology at the time that was key in connecting people and enterprises. A century later, IBM offers Europe’s industries, research institutions, and governments a data center of quantum computers, and the continent’s first IBM Quantum System Two, as important pieces in an equally transformative moment. Taking action together now, the continent’s ecosystem can lead in the development of these quantum applications with advantages never before possible.

Ana Paula Assis is Senior Vice President and Chair, EMEA and Growth Markets at IBM. Since her appointment in 2022, she is responsible for IBM’s business operations across more than 100 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She also has responsibility for market development for key Growth Markets including India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Ana Paula Assis drives revenue growth, client satisfaction, and employee engagement, and oversees IBM’s strategic relationships with institutions such as the European Union.

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