The Vice-President of the Regional Government of the Azores, Artur Lima, chaired the inauguration ceremony of Quantum LabAzores today, highlighting that the installation of this advanced computing infrastructure “marks the full implementation of all the targets undertaken by the Vice-Presidency under the PRR”.
For the Vice-President of the Government, Quantum Lab Azores "brings the Region closer to cutting-edge technologies that are transforming science, the global economy and the way public and business decisions are made”.
"The geography of the Azores requires us to choose carefully, think further ahead and apply with maximum intelligence the public resources at our disposal,” said Artur Lima, adding that this investment makes it possible to state “with complete clarity and conviction that the insular and outermost condition does not limit the Azores' ability to innovate”.
Quantum Lab Azores represents a public investment of €500,000, financed by the PRR, and was designed as an open and collaborative ecosystem, bringing together the Regional Public Administration, the University of the Azores, the NONAGON infrastructure, the business community and researchers from the Region.
The Vice-President of the executive stressed that this is “a real infrastructure, operational at room temperature, energy-efficient and environmentally responsible, which allows us to work today in direct preparation for the future of computing”.
However, “its true scope goes far beyond the equipment" visited today.
"We did not want to buy a machine that would remain idle, serving as a paperweight while waiting for users. We wanted to create users, empower young people, develop projects and generate knowledge to bring this infrastructure to life,” he stated.
During the ceremony, Artur Lima also announced the opening of five new PhD scholarships awarded through the Regional Fund for Science and Technology. This investment in human capital “ensures that research is translated into practical applications in the business community and in the institutions of the Azores".
"We want to train here a generation capable of creating cutting-edge knowledge and innovative solutions without having to leave their homeland,” stressed Artur Lima.
The government official also detailed that this technology and human capacity-building will have direct applications in Public Administration, the regional economy and the maritime sector, namely in resource optimisation, the management of complex processes, support for companies and entrepreneurs, and the monitoring of ocean conditions and marine ecosystems, through projects such as Atlantic CAM or SMART technology.
“The Azores are no longer merely the territory where data is collected, but will become the centre where that data can be processed, understood and valued,” he stressed.
The Vice-President of the Government finally highlighted “the full implementation of all the targets undertaken by the Vice-Presidency under the PRR” with the inauguration of Quantum Lab Azores.
“In addition to meeting our targets, we had the capacity to exceed the goals we had set ourselves. We had rigour and strategy,” he stressed.
“Today we are also taking a historic step. We are demonstrating that an Autonomous and Outermost Region can make technologically bold and financially responsible decisions. Today we prove that the Azores are not on the periphery of innovation; the Azores are at the centre of the future,” stated Artur Lima.
Source: Government of the Azores, "Artur Lima inaugura Quantum Lab Azores e reforça aposta na inovação e conhecimento", 31 August 2026, Government of the Azores Portal.