Quantum supercomputing: opportunities and obstacles on the road to Europe and Italy

In the global innovation landscape, supercomputing and quantum technologies are emerging as strategic tools for industrial competitiveness and technological autonomy. Major powers are already using them as levers of economic policy and geopolitical influence. The European Union has also chosen to invest decisively, aiming at an integrated infrastructure combining HPC, artificial intelligence and quantum computing by 2030, protected by the EuroQCI secure communications network.

The stakes are high: whoever controls the ability to process large volumes of data, simulate complex scenarios and protect communications holds a crucial competitive advantage. Without these technologies, Europe risks remaining dependent on the US and China, which are advancing with massive investments and rapid pace.

In this context, Italy can count on a major asset: the Bologna Technopole. Here, the Leonardo supercomputer, managed by the CINECA consortium, the ECMWF and INFN data centres, and soon the first quantum computers and an AI Factory, are creating an ecosystem that is unique in Europe. The industrial spin-offs are potentially enormous: from pharmaceuticals to energy, from automotive to finance, from semiconductors to cybersecurity, services and manufacturing sectors can benefit from advanced tools to innovate and compete.

The results can already be seen. Leonardo has been made available to start-ups and innovative companies as part of the Large AI Grand Challenge, while the IT4LIA AI Factory project has opened up access to cloud and HPC services for companies and public administration. During the pandemic, the Technopole contributed to antiviral research with molecular simulations on thousands of compounds. More recently, the Technopole has also become a research and design centre for microchips on the initiative of the Chips-IT Foundation. And industrial collaborations are growing stronger: Leonardo S.p.a. has entered into an agreement with CINECA to integrate HPC and AI into defence and security programmes.

A distinctive element of Europe's strategy is the decision to build a public network of computing infrastructures, accessible to companies large and small. This model allows companies to experiment and innovate without having to bear prohibitive investments in supercomputers or quantum platforms, turning shared access into a competitive advantage. It is a different approach from that of the United States, where the burden of investment falls mainly on large private corporations, and which can become a real asset for the European production system.