Gulf accelerates push for sovereign quantum computing

• Shifting from pilots to infrastructure
• UAE grows local qubit hardware
• Saudi and Qatar scale partnerships

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are investing heavily in quantum technology as they try to translate academic research and overseas partnerships into practical applications and greater technological autonomy.

Quantum computing harnesses the behaviour of subatomic particles to tackle problems in chemistry, materials science and logistics that conventional computers cannot handle.

The technology “has matured out of its validation stage and into nascent industrialisation”, according to a report this month by Noah Ramos, chief innovation strategist at Montreal-based investment research company Alpine Macro.

Artificial intelligence still dominates the region’s investment agenda, with Gulf states announcing more than $300 billion of related infrastructure plans. Quantum investment, while significant, is difficult to quantify because many major initiatives do not disclose spending.

The US and China are accelerating a “sovereign quantum race”, Ramos said.

Malak Trabelsi Loeb, Dubai-based CEO of quantum technology consultancy Vernewell Group, said the region was shifting from experimentation towards physical infrastructure and early applications.