Quantum Computing made in Barcelona: Qilimanjaro - by Mariona Fortuny Jané
Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech is a Barcelona Series B start-up, founded in 2019 as a spin-off of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE) and the University of Barcelona. It builds analogue quantum computers and calls itself Spain's first full-stack quantum computing company; ACCIÓ features it among Catalonia's most relevant start-ups of 2025. In November 2025 it opened what it calls Europe's first multimodal quantum data centre, and in May 2026 it inaugurated MareNostrum Ona, an analog quantum computer at the BSC built for the EU's EuroHPC programme, part of MareNostrum 5.
I. Source of authority and governing instrument
Qilimanjaro has been funded by a mix of public (EU, Spanish and Catalan investments) and private investments, and is subject to EU, Spanish and Catalan law, plus private interests. Thus, these represent four institutions that govern Qilimanjaro.
The EU's authority comes from the Treaties, which give it power over trade (Article 207 TFEU) and a role in research; as quantum computing is a strategic technology, these powers reach Qilimanjaro directly. The Spanish Constitution reserves foreign trade and research coordination to the State (Article 149.1), so Madrid applies EU rules to Qilimanjaro and adds its own. The Generalitat draws on the Statute of Autonomy (2006), which grants powers over research and industry, where Qilimanjaro originated. Private investors draw theirs from Spanish company law, under which their investments become shares with voting rights.
Their instruments are mainly financial, and the money comes with conditions. EU research grants (AVaQus, Qu-Pilot and a European Innovation Council grant) bind it to work plans, reporting and intellectual property rules under Horizon rules. Spanish SETT's €1 million, is tied to building quantum hardware, creating over 100 jobs and the "do no significant harm" rule. Catalan Avançsa's €1.5 million participatory loan charges interest linked to results and gives no ownership. Private investors, such as Axon Partners Group and Repsol Energy Ventures, possibly buy voting shares (not disclosed), most recently in a Series B of about €55 million. Two legal tools also bind it: the Dual-Use Regulation requires a licence to export quantum computers outside the EU, and foreign-investment screening requires government approval before any non-EU investor takes control.
II. Interests and values they purport to protect
The EU protects security and "technological sovereignty": its Dual-Use Regulation keeps military-relevant technology from hostile states, and its Quantum Europe Strategy aims to make Europe a quantum leader by 2030 without depending on US or Chinese suppliers. Spain protects strategic autonomy and jobs through an €808 million quantum strategy. The Generalitat protects a Catalan innovation ecosystem, putting "disruptive technologies" at the centre of policy and keeping spin-offs and talent at home. Private investors protect their return; corporate investors such as Repsol, also a Qilimanjaro client, seek early access to quantum applications for their industry.
III. Weaknesses in capacity, legitimacy or accountability
The EU lacks capacity: it governs the edges of the technology, not the technology itself. It controls exports, but no law yet regulates how quantum computers are built or used: the Quantum Act has slipped to late 2026, possibly 2027. Its export controls, licensed unevenly by each member state and adopted without agreement in the Wassenaar Arrangement, bind only Europe. Spain also lacks capacity: its strategy is not binding, and it can veto a foreign buyer but not steer the company, as SETT's €1 million is under 2% of the latest round. The Generalitat co-governs the centres that produced the technology (it holds 30% of the BSC and co-owns IFAE), yet its only direct tie to Qilimanjaro is a loan with no ownership, vote or regulatory power. Private investors present an accountability gap: earlier investors are known, but those behind the latest €55 million round have not been disclosed, while the company seeks US capital for up to €200 million, so the owners of a "sovereign" technology are only partly known.
== References ==
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