Aramco has launched Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer in partnership with French quantum computing firm Pasqal, deploying a 200-qubit neutral-atom Quantum Processing Unit at the company’s data centre in Dhahran and simultaneously introducing the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service platform for industrial, academic, and enterprise users. The development introduces the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service platform, designed to expand access to quantum hardware for industrial, academic and enterprise users working on complex computational problems across energy, materials science and industrial optimisation.
Housed at Aramco’s data centre in Dhahran, the system enables secure remote access to quantum processing capabilities with low-latency performance for global users. The infrastructure is intended to support real-world applications requiring high-performance computation, particularly in energy systems and large-scale industrial operations. The deployed Quantum Processing Unit uses neutral-atom technology and operates with 200 programmable qubits, with its inauguration marking the transition of the system into active operation for industrial workloads and research use cases. Neutral-atom quantum processors use individual atoms suspended in laser beams as qubits, offering a scalable architecture that is particularly well suited to optimisation and simulation problems of the kind that dominate Aramco’s computational priorities across reservoir modelling, logistics, and supply chain management.
Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Aramco, described the launch as a milestone driven by Saudi talent and long-term capability building, saying the quantum milestone belongs to Saudi researchers, engineers and scientists. He noted that quantum technologies could play a role in advancing lower-carbon energy solutions, improving reservoir modelling, and optimising supply chains, while also supporting Saudi Arabia’s long-term economic transformation under Vision 2030. Pasqal Chief Executive Officer Wasiq Bokhari said the partnership demonstrates how industrial-scale quantum computing is moving from theory into practical deployment, adding that Aramco is not just waiting for quantum computing but is helping to shape it as a global leader, with the system available both for Aramco’s internal operations and external users as part of a broader mission to scale secure, practical quantum computing across the region.
Under the collaboration, Aramco will serve as a foundational customer, developing quantum and hybrid quantum-classical applications across energy, materials and industrial domains, while external institutions including universities, research centres and enterprises will also gain access through Pasqal’s cloud platform. Aramco’s venture capital arm Wa’ed Ventures first invested in Pasqal in 2023, supporting efforts to localise quantum technologies and strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem. Since then, both organisations have been working on structured use cases targeting logistics optimisation, carbon storage modelling, drilling efficiency, rig scheduling, and broader workforce development in quantum technologies. For the wider Middle East technology landscape, the launch signals that quantum computing is moving from a speculative future technology into active industrial deployment in the region, with Aramco’s combination of financial resources, technical infrastructure, and strategic imperative making it a credible anchor customer for building a regional quantum ecosystem around.
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