Sheinbaum Visits Barcelona Supercomputing Center

-Editorial 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo visited the Barcelona Supercomputing Center as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Mexican government to develop the Coatlicue supercomputer, a project aimed at strengthening the country’s scientific research and technological development.

In a video message shared on social media, Sheinbaum said the initiative is being carried out in coordination with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and described Coatlicue as a major step forward for Mexico’s national development. She said the supercomputer is expected to support scientific innovation and contribute to the country’s long-term growth.

“We are at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, at the Supercomputing Center, where we are partnering to carry out the Coatlicue project in Mexico, which is the great supercomputer that will help scientific development and the country’s development,” she said in a video shared on her social media, recorded at the sculpture of an Olmec head donated by the University of Veracruz to the BSC.

As part of her visit, Sheinbaum toured the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer, one of Europe’s most advanced computing systems, as well as quantum computing facilities at the center. She also met with researchers and academics to discuss potential areas of scientific collaboration between Mexico and the Barcelona-based institution.

The meeting included several Spanish and Catalan officials, including Mateo Valero, director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center; Salvador Illa, president of the Government of Catalonia; Diana Morant, Spain’s minister of science, innovation, and universities; Núria Montserrat, Catalonia’s minister of research and universities; and Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona. Singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat attended as a special guest.

Sheinbaum was accompanied by members of her delegation, including Roberto Velasco Álvarez, a senior official from Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry; Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, chief of staff to the president; Quirino Ordaz Coppel, Mexico’s ambassador to Spain; and Alfonso Navarro, Mexico’s consul general in Barcelona.

The visit follows a cooperation agreement signed on Nov. 19, 2025, between the Mexican government and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center to establish a Mexican National Supercomputing Center. The agreement is part of broader efforts by Mexico to expand its digital infrastructure and scientific capabilities.

The Coatlicue supercomputer is being developed through Mexico’s technology and science agencies and is expected to become the most powerful public supercomputer in Latin America. Officials said it will be operated by Mexican specialists who are being trained at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, reinforcing bilateral collaboration in advanced computing and research.