Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) collaborated with Pasqal, a global leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, for the inauguration of the first quantum computer in Saudi Arabia.
Aramco and Pasqal also unveiled the first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platform in the Middle East, according to an official statement.
This step will open a new chapter in building regional expertise and accelerating the development of quantum applications across the energy, materials and industrial sectors.
QCaaS enables remote cloud access for potential clients around the globe while marking a major milestone in the region’s technological advancement.
The computer is located at Aramco's data center in Dhahran, and provides customers with immediate, low-latency access to quantum hardware through a secure cloud platform to address complex industrial challenges.
Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, said: “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—an expertise that will power the next generation of energy solutions, accelerate lower carbon fuel development, and enhance reservoir and supply chain optimization,” Al Khowaiter elaborated.
He concluded: “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.”
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.
Meanwhile, other external organizations like research institutions, universities, and enterprises, can use Pasqal’s cloud platform to access one of the few quantum computers in the world.
Pasqal has been designing and building high-performance hardware and cloud-ready software since 2019. Following its initial deployment in November 2025, the Pasqal Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) is powered by neutral-atom technology and controls 200 programmable qubits.
For his part, Pasqal CEO, Wasiq Bokhari, said: "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.”
Bokhari added: “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."
Aramco’s domestic venture capital arm, Wa’ed Ventures, initially invested in Pasqal in January 2023, reinforcing efforts to localize advanced quantum technologies and accelerate the development of the regional quantum ecosystem.
It is worth noting that the global oil giant Aramco delivered SAR 433.10 billion in revenue in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026.
