Spain at the forefront of quantum computing: chips made in Spain, built in Barcelona

Published on 16/09/2026 - 5:55 GMT+2

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has opened in Barcelona the new Quantum Nanofabrication Area of the Clean Room at the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM), regarded as the largest research infrastructure of its kind in Spain.

The new facility will make it possible to manufacture and analyse devices and circuits at the nanometre scale for the development of quantum technologies and advanced microelectronics.

The facility, which has required an investment of more than six million euros, is funded through the PERTE Chip and the Complementary Plan for Quantum Communications, with support from the European Next Generation EU funds.

The area is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments, including Spain's most advanced electron-beam lithography system, as well as microscopes and metrology tools capable of inspecting structures at nanometre dimensions.

These systems will be available to researchers and companies and will help drive progress in the design, manufacture and prototyping of technologies applicable to fields such as quantum computing and communications, healthcare, energy and security.

With this new infrastructure, CSIC aims to strengthen Spain's capabilities in semiconductors and quantum technologies and to ease the transition from research to industrial development.