Saudi Arabia deploys its first-ever quantum computer

Saudi Aramco, one of the most significant energy and chemicals companies in the world, has successfully deployed Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer and the region’s first industrial-grade system.

This marks a significant milestone for the Middle East’s technology sector, pushing forward the regional goals of tech advancement.

The Saudi quantum computer was developed through a partnership with Pasqal, a French “neutral-atom quantum computing company”. It was recently inaugurated at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran.

Aramco said the deployment “marks a pivotal step in building regional expertise and accelerating the development of quantum applications across the energy, materials, and industrial sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East.”

The system installed supports 200 qubits, arranged in programmable two-dimensional arrays, creating a platform suitable for testing advanced quantum algorithms and exploring industrial applications, according to the announcement. For comparison, the largest current quantum computer is at Caltech, with 6,100 qubits.

Through the partnership, Pasqal will also provide training programs and joint research opportunities for Saudi engineers and scientists, supporting the Kingdom’s goals of developing local talent in emerging technologies like quantum computing.

This is not the first collaboration between Aramco and Pascal, as in 2023, Wa’ed Ventures, Aramco’s venture capital arm, invested in Pasqal as one of the early strategic backers.

There is no clear information about the planned use of the new quantum computer in Saudi Arabia. The sector is known to be at the epicenter of much debate over its maturity and real-world usability, as companies have been developing it for decades now without any apparent breakthrough beyond semi-regular announcements of higher qubit counts.