May 19, 2026
Saudi Aramco and Pasqal formally inaugurated Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer on Monday, bringing the Kingdom’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service platform into active operation after the system’s initial deployment in late 2025.
The 200-qubit neutral-atom quantum computer at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran will offer secure cloud access to external users, including enterprises, universities, and research institutions.
The companies said the system will support industrial applications across energy, materials, and heavy industry, with Aramco acting as a foundational customer. Planned use cases include port logistics optimization, CO? storage optimization, well placement, and rig scheduling.
The launch marks a step in Saudi Arabia’s push to localize advanced technologies and build a domestic quantum ecosystem under Vision 2030. Aramco’s venture capital arm, Wa’ed Ventures, first invested in Pasqal in January 2023, laying the groundwork for a broader quantum program focused on operational and industrial challenges.
For Aramco, the move fits into a wider strategy of using advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure to improve reservoir management, supply chains, and lower-carbon fuel development. For the region, the QCaaS platform could give companies and researchers rare access to quantum hardware without having to build or host systems themselves.
The companies also unveiled what they described as the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service platform, allowing customers to access quantum hardware remotely through a secure cloud system.
The launch gives Aramco a production-ready quantum processing unit for testing industrial applications in energy and materials, while opening access to other enterprises, universities, and research institutions across the region and beyond.
Aramco said the platform will support work on complex operational challenges, including port logistics, CO? storage, well placement, and rig scheduling. The company also expects quantum-hybrid tools to support lower-carbon fuel development, reservoir optimization, and supply chain planning.
The system was initially deployed in November 2025 and has now formally entered active operation. Pasqal, founded in 2019, specializes in neutral-atom quantum computing hardware and cloud-ready software for optimization, simulation, and artificial intelligence.
The partnership builds on Aramco’s earlier backing of Pasqal through Wa’ed Ventures, its domestic venture capital arm, which invested in the French quantum computing company in January 2023. That investment was part of a broader effort to localize advanced technologies in Saudi Arabia and develop a regional quantum ecosystem.
The launch also aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, which has prioritized high-tech industries, domestic skills development, and economic diversification beyond crude oil. For Aramco, the project highlights how the world’s largest oil company is positioning advanced computing as a tool for improving efficiency across its core operations while building new technology capabilities inside the Kingdom.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
