Aramco Activates Saudi Arabia’s First Quantum Computer

Saudi energy company Saudi Aramco and French quantum computing company Pasqal have activated Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer at Aramco’s data centre in Dhahran.

The inauguration also introduced what the companies describe as the Middle East’s first commercial cloud access platform for quantum computing, allowing enterprises and research institutions to remotely access the system through a secure online interface.

The platform is powered by a Pasqal quantum processing unit using neutral-atom technology and includes 200 programmable qubits.

While the hardware was initially deployed in November, the inauguration formalises its transition into active industrial operation.

Under the partnership, Aramco will act as the platform’s foundational customer while continuing development of quantum-hybrid technologies and applications.

The cloud-based system is also intended to provide low-latency remote access for universities, researchers, and industrial organisations across the Gulf, placing it among a limited number of publicly accessible quantum computing systems globally.

The commercial partnership between the two companies began in 2023, when Wa’ed Ventures invested in Pasqal to support the development of a regional quantum computing programme.

Founded in 2019, Pasqal develops cloud-ready quantum hardware and software focused on optimisation, simulation, and artificial intelligence systems using laser-controlled neutral-atom technology.