Barcelona Supercomputing Center Deploys 2 Quantum Modalities With MareNostrum-5 for Hybrid Workflows
Updated
Updated · BeBeez International · Jun 22
Barcelona Supercomputing Center Deploys 2 Quantum Modalities With MareNostrum-5 for Hybrid Workflows
2 articles · Updated · BeBeez International · Jun 22
Summary
MareNostrum-5 now hosts superconducting quantum systems at Barcelona Supercomputing Center, letting researchers run hybrid workflows that treat quantum processors like HPC accelerators alongside CPUs and GPUs.
4% of U.S. electricity already goes to AI training and that share could reach 12% by 2028, a demand surge the center cites as a reason to pursue more efficient computing models.
Superconducting analog systems are being positioned for materials, chemistry and optimization workloads, while digital quantum machines remain better suited to gate-based tasks such as cryptography, search and large-scale linear algebra.
The broader goal is a multimodal quantum data center in which analog and digital quantum hardware is orchestrated with classical infrastructure, whether deployed on-premise or delivered through quantum-as-a-service.
With tech giants backing both, will small nuclear reactors or quantum computers win the race to power the AI revolution?
Is quantum computing truly a green solution, or will it create its own massive energy and resource footprint?
Beyond electricity, are we prepared for the immense water and grid pressures unleashed by AI's unstoppable growth?
MareNostrum-Ona: Launching Spain’s €9.8M Hybrid Quantum Supercomputer and Advancing European Technological Sovereignty
Overview
On May 28, 2026, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) inaugurated MareNostrum-Ona, Spain’s third quantum supercomputer. This 9.8-million-euro investment is a dedicated quantum partition within the larger MareNostrum 5 system. MareNostrum-Ona is designed to seamlessly integrate classical supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, creating a powerful hybrid platform. This integration marks a pivotal step in hybrid computing, enabling researchers to tackle complex problems more efficiently by combining the strengths of different computational paradigms. The project aims to accelerate research and AI capabilities in Spain and across Europe.