Telefónica and Fujitsu will expand the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer to make Barcelona one of the seven artificial intelligence (AI) "factories" planned for the European Union (EU). The project, with an investment of €129 million, was awarded to both companies through a call for proposals launched in July. One of the main objectives of the project, with its €129 million budget, is to facilitate access to these new technologies for SMEs. start-ups and public administrations.

Alba Cervera's (Barcelona, ​​1991) decision to study physics has a lot to do with Star Trek and Isaac Asimov. Her father loved science fiction and instilled that passion in her. Cervera was fascinated by everything related to space and decided she wanted to be an astrophysicist. However, while studying for her physics degree at the University of Barcelona, she discovered quantum information and dedicated herself to it completely. And today she is one of the most recognized scientific voices in that field.

Two decades of science and knowledge serving the public have positioned Catalonia as one of the most innovative regions in Europe. This is the legacy of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) since its inception 20 years ago with the installation of the first MareNostrum supercomputer. During this time, the center has become a hub for talent, research projects, and economic growth in the Catalan capital, while simultaneously increasing its computing capacity with the installation of increasingly powerful supercomputers, culminating in MareNostrum 5. The arrival of a new quantum computer, one of the first of European production, and from one of the first European artificial intelligence (AI) factoriesAnd the MareNostrum 6 on the horizon marks the future of the institution, which is clear that it wants to continue advancing true to its legacy.

The Catalan multinational blood products company Grifols is embarking on a new era. The company is considering returning to dividend payments and has seen its share price rise after the shock caused by the attacks from the short-selling fund Gotham City Research. At this week's shareholders' meeting, the current chairman, Thomas Glanzmann, retired after 19 years on the board of directors. For the first time, a woman is assuming this position: Anne-Catherine Berner.

Cristian Canton (Terrassa, 1980), who was previously director of artificial intelligence (AI) at Meta's US headquarters, will take over as the new associate director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) in the coming days. He will succeed Josep Martorell, who is leaving the center after nine years. Canton is leaving after more than 15 years at large corporations such as Meta and Microsoft to join the BSC management team, where he will seek to transfer his experience to the private sector. In a conversation with ARA, he discusses this professional change and reviews the institution's future challenges.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the Next Generation EU funds that the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) has received to finance MareNostrum-Ona, the first quantum computer in Spain. The launch of this tool is part of an initiative by the Spanish government's Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service.

Technology company Intel will open a pioneering microchip design laboratory at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC). It will involve an initial investment, shared with the Spanish government, of €400m over a period of ten years, according to La Vanguardia. The new RISC-V processor laboratory will be built thanks to the agreement reached with Intel within the framework of the post-covid funds for microchips, approved yesterday by the executive and which has a total budget of €12,250m.

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) will build and coordinate the first quantum computing network of the State, a science that would allow to understand complex chemical reactions to give rise to new drugs, improve industrial batteries or optimise artificial intelligence algorithms for the world of finance, logistics or security. These are just some examples of the benefits that could be obtained from the production and use of quantum computing, a discipline little explored in Spain but strategic to manage phenomena that happen at a microscopic level and make multiple operations with a great impact on the resolution of real problems, especially in the industrial sectors.