Aramco and Pasqal launch Saudi Arabia's first quantum computer and QCaaS platform

Aramco and French quantum computing company Pasqal said on Monday they have launched Saudi Arabia's first quantum computer and the Middle East's first commercial quantum-computing-as-a-service platform.

The companies said the system was inaugurated at Aramco's data center in Dhahran, expanding a partnership that was first announced in 2024. The new platform is intended to let customers access quantum computing remotely rather than having to own the hardware themselves.

Aramco said in its first-quarter 2026 interim report that network and software setup, optical alignment and cloud integration had been completed ahead of a planned second-quarter launch of the QCaaS offering.

Pasqal had previously said in November 2025 that the system had been successfully deployed at Aramco's Dhahran data center and described it as the region's first industrial quantum computer. The new launch statement frames the deployment as Saudi Arabia's first quantum computer and the Middle East's first commercial QCaaS platform.

Neither company immediately disclosed initial customers or commercial terms. They also did not provide a detailed technical specification for the machine in the launch announcement.

The launch gives Saudi Arabia a visible foothold in a field that is still early in commercialization, while also signaling that Aramco is continuing to push into advanced computing applications alongside its core energy business.