Quantum Hardware, Deep Tech

Telefónica and IQM bring quantum hardware to Spain’s capital

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October 23, 2026 by Ivy Delaney

IQM Quantum Computers and Telefónica will install the IQM Spark quantum computer at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid before the end of 2026, establishing the first quantum computing system within the Community of Madrid. This deployment marks the third such system created through the Telefónica and IQM collaboration in Spain, directly providing researchers, students, hospitals and start-ups with access to quantum hardware.

“By investing in its own quantum computer, the Community of Madrid is creating an infrastructure that will enable its researchers, students and industries to grow their capabilities over the long term,” said Jan Goetz, CEO and Co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers. The initiative aims to encourage a local quantum ecosystem and strengthen Madrid’s position as a hub for digital innovation.

The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid will soon host an IQM Spark quantum computer, an all-in-one system tailored for research, education and early development of quantum applications. The system joins two other quantum computers already deployed by Telefónica and IQM at the CESGA (Galician Supercomputing Centre), demonstrating a growing commitment to quantum infrastructure in Spain, the company says.

The IQM Spark’s arrival is expected to significantly enhance the region’s capacity for developing quantum capabilities through hands-on experience, moving beyond remote access models. Telefónica’s involvement extends beyond hardware provision. The company is also developing post-quantum cryptography standards for secure data communications between its data centers in Spain.

Borja Ochoa, non-executive Chairman of Telefónica España and CEO of B2B, explained, “This project marks another step forward in Telefónica’s close collaboration with the Community of Madrid in the deployment of quantum technologies, both in networks and in the encryption and protection of critical data in particularly sensitive sectors such as healthcare and security, and now also through the research opportunities offered by quantum computing.” The company is actively building a national ecosystem through technology development and strategic projects, including applications in cancer treatment and sustainable packaging. The establishment of this quantum computing infrastructure within the Community of Madrid aims to attract talent and solidify Madrid’s position as a leading hub for advanced digital innovation.

By bringing together stakeholders involved in developing practical use cases, the initiative seeks to deliver tangible benefits to local industry and contribute to European technological sovereignty. IQM’s broader international footprint, with full-stack quantum computers deployed across Europe, Asia and North America, emphasises the growing global demand for accessible quantum hardware and the increasing focus on translating experimentation into high-impact applications.

This project marks another step forward in Telefónica’s close collaboration with the Community of Madrid in the deployment of quantum technologies, both in networks and in the encryption and protection of critical data in particularly sensitive sectors such as healthcare and security, and now also through the research opportunities offered by quantum computing.

Borja Ochoa, non-executive Chairman of Telefónica España and CEO of B2B
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Ivy Delaney

Ivy Delaney has been working with neural networks and machine learning since the mid-nineties, back when a couple of hidden layers and a long afternoon of training counted as ambitious. She has watched the field go from academic curiosity to the thing quietly running underneath everything, and she brings that long view to quantum computing. For Quantum Zeitgeist she covers the ground where the two fields meet. That means quantum machine learning and the variational algorithms it leans on, and it also means the less glamorous but more interesting story of classical machine learning already doing real work inside quantum machines, decoding error-correcting codes, calibrating noisy hardware and learning the error models that simulators depend on. She writes about the hardware those algorithms have to run on too, and about the post-quantum cryptography scramble that the same hardware has set off. Her stories typically start with the paper, whether that is peer-reviewed work, conference proceedings or an arXiv preprint, with the source linked so you can hold a claim up against the research it came from. She is unimpressed by benchmarks that will not say what they beat, and by demonstrations that only work in the press release.

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