Aramco and Pasqal Launch Saudi Arabia’s First Quantum Computer and Region’s First QCaaS Platform

Lead

Saudi Aramco and French quantum firm Pasqal have inaugurated the Kingdom’s first quantum computer and launched the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platform at Aramco’s Dhahran data centre, the companies announced on May 22, 2026. The system—built on Pasqal’s neutral‑atom hardware—entered full operational use after a late‑2025 deployment of a 200‑programmable‑qubit Quantum Processing Unit (QPU). The cloud‑accessible QCaaS offering is intended to give enterprises, researchers and industrial users low‑latency, secure access to one of the world’s operational quantum processors to accelerate applications across energy, materials, logistics and advanced manufacturing.

Direct quote

“This quantum milestone belongs to our Saudi researchers, engineers and scientists. By investing in joint training and research, we are building world‑class quantum expertise right here in the Kingdom—expertise that will power the next generation of energy solutions, accelerate lower‑carbon fuel development, and enhance reservoir and supply‑chain optimization. Let this achievement be the catalyst for an innovation‑driven economy, creating high‑impact, future‑ready jobs for our youth and advancing Saudi Vision 2030,” said Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation.

Context and details

Pasqal’s CEO Wasiq Bokhari framed the initiative as an active effort to shape the global quantum landscape and to make quantum resources available for industrial use. “Aramco is not just waiting for quantum computing, it is helping to shape it as a global leader. This inauguration shows that the most demanding industrial challenges are now being tackled with Pasqal’s quantum processors, software, and solutions. Deploying our system for Aramco’s business‑critical operations—while also making it available to the region’s enterprises and research community—is central to our mission of enabling practical and secure quantum computing at scale,” Bokhari said.

The QPU, deployed in late 2025, uses neutral‑atom technology and supports 200 programmable qubits. Aramco and Pasqal said the system will be accessible through Pasqal’s cloud platform, providing external organisations—including universities, research institutions and commercial enterprises—remote access to run experiments, develop quantum algorithms and build quantum‑hybrid applications.

• Location: Aramco data centre, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
• Hardware: Pasqal neutral‑atom QPU, 200 programmable qubits (deployed late 2025).
• Access model: Commercial QCaaS via Pasqal’s cloud platform with low‑latency, secure connectivity.
• Commercial and research use cases cited: optimization, simulation, AI‑driven modelling.
• Joint workstreams already underway: port logistics optimization, CO₂ storage modeling, well placement, rig scheduling, and quantum workforce development.

Outlook

Aramco said the partnership will advance a roadmap of production‑ready quantum use cases across energy, materials and industrial operations, while Pasqal emphasised deployment in business‑critical environments and broader regional access. Aramco’s venture capital arm, Wa’ed Ventures, first invested in Pasqal in 2023, underpinning efforts to localise advanced quantum technologies and accelerate a domestic quantum ecosystem. Together the organisations expect the QCaaS platform to shorten the path from research to production for quantum‑hybrid applications that address reservoir optimisation, supply‑chain problems and lower‑carbon fuel development, while supporting workforce training aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.