RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has marked a milestone in advanced computing after Aramco and Pasqal activated the Kingdom’s first quantum computer in Dhahran, underscoring the country’s push to strengthen its position in emerging technologies and digital innovation.
According to a press release, the ceremony at Aramco’s data center also saw the unveiling of the region’s first commercial Quantum Computing-as-a-Service platform, making the machine available to enterprises and research institutions worldwide via a secure cloud interface.
The Pasqal Quantum Processing Unit uses neutral-atom technology to control 200 programmable qubits.
The launch comes as Saudi Arabia accelerates investment in advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing and quantum technologies under Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and build a knowledge-based innovation ecosystem.
Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation Ahmad Al-Khowaiter framed the milestone in terms of national ambition, and said: “This quantum milestone belongs to our Saudi researchers, engineers and scientists.”
He added: “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.”
Though the hardware was first deployed in November, the most recent inauguration formalizes its entry into active industrial operation across a growing portfolio of use cases, from port logistics optimization and CO2 storage to well placement, rig scheduling, and materials science.
Under the partnership, Aramco serves as the platform’s foundational customer, advancing a roadmap of quantum-hybrid solutions where classical computing falls short.
The QCaaS model allows remote, low-latency access to the QPU for external clients, including universities and industrial players across the Gulf, making it one of a small number of publicly accessible quantum computers globally.
The commercial relationship dates back to January 2023, when Aramco’s domestic venture-capital arm Wa’ed Ventures first invested in Pasqal. That financial commitment seeded a structured quantum program that has since expanded into six distinct operational workstreams and a regional workforce-development effort aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.
Pasqal CEO Wasiq Bokhari said the deployment validated the company’s core mission.
“Aramco is not just waiting for quantum computing, it is helping to shape it as a global leader,” he said, adding that making the system available to the region’s enterprises and research community was central to Pasqal’s goal of enabling practical and secure quantum computing at scale.
Pasqal, which has been building cloud-ready quantum hardware and software since 2019, focuses on optimization, simulation, and artificial intelligence applications.
The company’s neutral-atom approach allows it to control individual atoms with laser light, a technique well-suited to the complex combinatorial problems common in energy and logistics.
Vision 2030 targets the development of a knowledge-based economy less dependent on oil revenues, with advanced technology sectors identified as priority pillars for diversification.
The inauguration of the Kingdom’s first quantum computer, and the workforce development program embedded within the Aramco-Pasqal partnership, represent a tangible step toward that goal, building sovereign deep-tech capability and creating the high-skilled jobs the plan envisions for Saudi youth.
