The Spanish government launches this entity, led by a Spanish woman, to accelerate computing with this technology.

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López, has announced an investment by the Spanish government, through the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), worth €9.75 million in Nu Quantum, a pioneer and leader in distributed quantum computing based in the United Kingdom. This financial injection from the government will enable the British technology company to establish a headquarters in our country.

“The race for quantum computing will not be easy, but Spain can and must specialize in sectors such as quantum communications. That is why the Spanish government will invest almost €10 million in the launch of a Nu Quantum subsidiary in our country, through the SETT, placing us at the forefront of quantum computer interconnection.”

The minister made this announcement during his speech at the Science for Industry forum, which is being held today and tomorrow in Madrid, and in which the CEO of the beneficiary company, Carmen Palacios-Berrraquedo, also participated. The head of the technology company highlighted that this investment is part of a financing round in which her company has raised a total of $60 million, making it “the most successful round ever for a distributed quantum computing company,” she added.

Both confirmed that the future subsidiary in Spain aims to become a center of excellence in quantum network infrastructure with a significant impact on employment. “Ten years ago, Spain exported talent and imported technology services. Now it's just the opposite. Nu Quantum will play a key role because it will enable quantum computing to have commercial applications and because it will generate high-value talent: we're talking about more than 30 skilled jobs,” López said.

The minister also stressed that this initiative responds to Spain's interest in consolidating European digital sovereignty in an area that is critical for future competitiveness. "The day will come when quantum computing will be on everyone's lips. And Spain is anticipating this; we are deploying the necessary infrastructure for its development and scalability. Our goal is to finance, promote, and govern quantum technologies to make our country a key hub in Europe and the world," the minister emphasized.

The operation places Spain at the forefront of one of the key areas of quantum computing, in line with the PERTE Chip and the National Quantum Technologies Strategy, which has a budget of €808 million. It involves the interconnection of quantum computers through secure and scalable networks (distributed quantum computing), an essential step for this technology to achieve real commercial applications.

“Quantum technology opens the door to a new world because it can reduce mathematical calculations that would take years to just minutes. If Spanish quantum technology manages to prevent a cyberattack, discover a new drug, or save a life, all the effort will have been worth it,” López emphasized.

New subsidiary in Spain

The project seeks to develop an advanced quantum network architecture capable of connecting multiple quantum processors in real time, significantly increasing their combined processing capacity. This approach overcomes one of the main challenges in the sector: scalability, currently one of the biggest bottlenecks for the industrial adoption of quantum computing.

Thanks to these networks, it will be possible to develop quantum computers with the computational power necessary to tackle highly complex problems in areas such as the discovery of new drugs, energy optimization, advanced materials modeling, and communications security, unlocking the economic value of this emerging technology.

The subsidiary's main focus will be the industrialization of the Quantum Networking Unit (QNU) and the development of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which are essential for creating ultra-fast, low-loss switching and detection modules that will enable quantum computing to be scaled up to commercial levels. For its part, SETT, which manages more than €16.4 billion from three major funds under the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, will ensure the project's integration into the national quantum and photonic ecosystem, aligning it with Spain's strategic priorities and maximizing its economic and industrial impact.

Public-private collaboration

National startups and scaleups, such as Qilimanjaro, Quside, Multiverse, and Quantix Edge Security, have already attracted €81 million in venture capital investment from SETT, reflecting the growing appeal of the sector. "SETT is playing a key role in reshaping the national technology map, and Nu Quantum is further proof of this. We invest in talent and industry. We generate regulatory certainty and have cheap and sustainable energy. The perfect combination for foreign companies to come here and join a public-private partnership that is in the DNA of our management of European funds," the minister concluded.

Nu Quantum, a leader in quantum computing

Nu Quantum was founded in 2018 at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), in the Cavendish Laboratory, one of the world's most prestigious physics research centers. Its advances are the result of more than a decade of work, positioning it as the world's first company specializing in quantum networks.

The founder and CEO of Nu Quantum, Carmen Palacios-Berraquero from Spain, is an award-winning quantum physicist and author of numerous research articles. With a PhD in physics from Cambridge, she is also a member of the Technical Advisory Board of the UK National Quantum Computing Center and co-founder and director of UK Quantum, the British quantum industry group. Her scientific leadership, combined with sustained international growth and a multidisciplinary team, positions Nu Quantum as a key player in the global quantum industry.

More information here.