diff --git a/packages/build-brainscales/package.py b/packages/build-brainscales/package.py
index b80d058387fe3e0c0ed65ce60f9ceb9a52cd4e22..d8349c67a4d21bf29c24540e2b02f23606ee6b62 100644
--- a/packages/build-brainscales/package.py
+++ b/packages/build-brainscales/package.py
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ import spack.build_environment
 class BuildBrainscales(WafPackage):
     """Common stuff for BrainScaleS packages..."""
 
+    version(
+        "9.0-a8",
+        git="https://github.com/electronicvisions/releases-ebrains",
+        tag="ebrains-9.0-a8",
+        commit="44323be431da4b4b43890815f453c27207dee0b2",
+        submodules=True,
+    )
     version(
         "9.0-a7",
         git="https://github.com/electronicvisions/releases-ebrains",
@@ -45,6 +52,7 @@ class BuildBrainscales(WafPackage):
     )
 
     # common dependencies of BuildBrainscales-derived packages
+    depends_on('oppulance@9.0-a8', when='@9.0-a8', type=('build', 'link', 'run', 'test'))
     depends_on('oppulance@9.0-a7', when='@9.0-a7', type=('build', 'link', 'run', 'test'))
     depends_on('oppulance@9.0-a6', when='@9.0-a6', type=('build', 'link', 'run', 'test'))
     depends_on('oppulance@9.0-a5', when='@9.0-a5', type=('build', 'link', 'run', 'test'))
diff --git a/packages/oppulance/package.py b/packages/oppulance/package.py
index 9875947f1263238bee276cdf8cda7360f9e0f93b..2249a8b49fcd95084214f53a4af45fcebb1c5302 100644
--- a/packages/oppulance/package.py
+++ b/packages/oppulance/package.py
@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ class Oppulance(Package):
     depends_on('wget')
     depends_on('gmp')
 
+    version(
+        "9.0-a8",
+        git="https://github.com/electronicvisions/releases-ebrains",
+        tag="ebrains-9.0-a8",
+        commit="44323be431da4b4b43890815f453c27207dee0b2",
+        submodules=True,
+    )
     version(
         "9.0-a7",
         git="https://github.com/electronicvisions/releases-ebrains",
diff --git a/packages/wf-brainscales2-demos/package.py b/packages/wf-brainscales2-demos/package.py
index cdf482c71a4e5a2ed0c3f1306f67f8638eb98f7b..9226c76a37defcb3c8317e9eccba93dfbc0aca7f 100644
--- a/packages/wf-brainscales2-demos/package.py
+++ b/packages/wf-brainscales2-demos/package.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ class WfBrainscales2Demos(Package):
     maintainers = ["emuller", "muffgaga"]
 
     # ECM: we probably should build the ipynb file in this package
+    version("9.0-a8", tag="jupyter-notebooks-9.0-a8")
     version("9.0-a7", tag="jupyter-notebooks-9.0-a7")
     version("9.0-a6", tag="jupyter-notebooks-9.0-a6")
     version("9.0-a5", tag="jupyter-notebooks-9.0-a5")
diff --git a/spack.yaml b/spack.yaml
index c041ec25efb8932b7d1085624c26a5445d5d99a0..a4a869acf5271316d112dac2c70d9c3aed5d8446 100644
--- a/spack.yaml
+++ b/spack.yaml
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ spack:
     - biobb-model@4.0.0
     - biobb-structure-checking@3.12.1
     - biobb-structure-utils@4.0.0
-    - hxtorch@9.0-a7
+    - hxtorch@9.0-a8
     - nest@3.8 +sonata
     - neuron@8.2.3 +mpi
-    - jaxsnn@9.0-a7
+    - jaxsnn@9.0-a8
     - py-bluepyefe@2.2.18
     - py-bluepymm@0.7.65
     - py-bluepyopt@1.13.86
@@ -56,14 +56,14 @@ spack:
     - py-tvb-ext-unicore
     - py-tvb-ext-xircuits@1.1.0
     - py-viziphant@0.4.0
-    - pynn-brainscales@9.0-a7
+    - pynn-brainscales@9.0-a8
     - r-rgsl@0.1.1
     - r-sbtabvfgen@0.1
     - r-uqsa@2.2
     - sda@7.3.3d
     # Workflows (meta-packages)
     - wf-biobb
-    - wf-brainscales2-demos@9.0-a7
+    - wf-brainscales2-demos@9.0-a8
     - wf-protein-association-rates@0.1
     - wf-multi-area-model@1.2.0
     - wf-human-multi-area-model@2.0.1