05/10/2026

QEC4QEA Members Engage with Europe’s Quantum and HPC Communities in Berlin and Dublin

QEC4QEA members recently represented the project at two major European events: the AI, Data & Quantum Summit (AIDAQ) in Berlin and the fourth EuroHPC User Days in Dublin. Both events highlighted the growing importance of connecting artificial intelligence, quantum computing and high-performance computing to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty.

Discussing Europe’s technological future at AIDAQ 2026

Held in Berlin, AIDAQ 2026 brought together more than 2,500 participants, over 200 speakers and 140 sessions from industry, politics and academia. The summit addressed the latest developments in artificial intelligence, data and quantum computing, as well as broader questions related to investment, adoption and technological sovereignty. A central theme throughout the event was how Europe can turn technological progress into economic and societal impact. Discussions focused not only on emerging technologies, but also on the conditions needed to integrate and scale them successfully.

Prof. Dr Kristel Michielsen, Director of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre and QEC4QEA Coordinator, contributed to this debate as a panellist in the session “How Europe Builds, Adopts and Scales Critical Technologies”. She discussed how Europe can develop the infrastructure, skills and ecosystems required to move from technological experimentation towards meaningful applications and market adoption. For QEC4QEA, this transition is closely linked to the integration of quantum and high-performance computing.

QEC4QEA contributions at the EuroHPC User Days

The EuroHPC User Days took place from 22 to 24 September 2026 at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road in Dublin. The event welcomed around 700 participants on site and a further 200 online, making it the most well-attended edition to date. The annual EuroHPC User Days provide a forum for users of European HPC, quantum computing and AI resources to present their projects, exchange best practices and discuss the opportunities and challenges of using EuroHPC infrastructure. The event also enables EuroHPC projects to gather feedback from existing users and build new collaborations across research and industry.

QEC4QEA was strongly represented throughout the programme. Maria Elena Cheng (Multiverse Computing) addressed the role of European computing resources in advancing large language models and supporting research and innovation. Artur Garcia-Saez (Barcelona Supercomputing Center) contributed to the session “Accessing EuroHPC Quantum Computing Resources”. The session explored how researchers and organisations can access European quantum computing capabilities and how these resources can support the development and testing of new applications. The QEC4QEA consortium also took part in a poster session and engaged in direct conversations with researchers, companies and other members of the European HPC and quantum communities. The discussions opened the door to new contacts and potential collaborations.

AIDAQ 2026 and the EuroHPC User Days once again demonstrated that Europe’s technological strength is based on a strong and growing ecosystem built around transnational, accessible and interconnected infrastructure.