Aramco, Pasqal launch Saudi Arabia’s ‘first quantum computer’

Saudi energy giant Aramco and French quantum computing company Pasqal have officially inaugurated Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer. The two companies also unveiled the first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platform in the Middle East, according to a media release.  

QCaaS enables remote cloud access for potential clients around the globe. Located at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran, the computer provides customers with immediate, low-latency access to quantum hardware through a secure cloud platform to address complex industrial challenges.

“This quantum milestone belongs to our Saudi researchers, engineers and scientists,” Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, said. “By investing in joint training and research, we are building world‑class quantum expertise right here in the Kingdom—an expertise that will power the next generation of energy solutions, accelerate lower‑carbon fuel development, and enhance reservoir and supply‑chain optimization.” 

“Aramco is not just waiting for quantum computing, it is helping to shape it as a global leader. This inauguration is evidence that the most demanding industrial challenges in the world are now being tackled with Pasqal’s quantum processors, software and specific solutions,” Wasiq Bokhari, Pasqal CEO, said. “For Pasqal, deploying our system for use in Aramco’s business-critical operations, while also being available to the region’s enterprises and research community, is a part of our core mission: to enable practical and secure quantum computing at scale today.”

Under the terms of the partnership, Aramco will progress a roadmap of use cases on a production-ready QPU as a foundational customer, accelerating development of quantum-hybrid solutions for its programs across energy, materials and industrial operations. Other external organizations, including research institutions, universities, and enterprises, can use Pasqal’s cloud platform to access one of the few quantum computers in the world, the press release said.