King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), represented by the National Center for Quantum Technologies (NCQT), has signed a research collaboration agreement with Pasqal to advance research and development across multiple domains of advanced quantum technology and enhance quantum cryptography readiness in Saudi Arabia.
The agreement marks the latest milestone in Pasqal’s rapidly expanding presence in Saudi Arabia as the company deepens partnerships across the Kingdom’s research, government and industrial sectors.
Under the agreement, Pasqal’s neutral-atom quantum processing technology and cloud services will be paired with KACST’s national research infrastructure to develop and validate quantum-safe cryptographic solutions.
The work will be carried out at KACST’s National Center for Quantum Technologies, with quantum cryptography serving as the first focus area of a broader multi-year research program.
As quantum computing capabilities continue to advance globally, organizations across government, financial services and critical infrastructure face increasing pressure to prepare for a post-quantum future.
Through the collaboration, KACST and Pasqal expect to develop, test and package quantum-safe cryptographic solutions, with the shared objective of ultimately bringing commercial offerings to the Saudi market.
Talal Al-Sedairy, SVP for R&D at KACST, said the agreement reflects KACST’s commitment to building strategic research partnerships with global technology leaders, supporting the development of national capabilities, and translating scientific research in quantum technologies into impactful future applications.”
“This partnership represents an important step toward building an advanced national quantum ecosystem. It enables our researchers to conduct joint research across diverse quantum domains, leveraging world-class infrastructure and international expertise to elevate the Kingdom’s research capacity and global standing in this strategic field,” said Manahel Thabet, director of the National Center for Quantum Technologies.
The collaboration builds on a period of significant momentum for Pasqal in Saudi Arabia. In May, together with Aramco, Pasqal inaugurated Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran, alongside the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing-as-a-Service platform.
More recently, Pasqal and Eleven Ventures announced plans to establish a joint venture focused on deploying, commercializing and scaling quantum computing systems across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
“Saudi Arabia is demonstrating a remarkable ambition to build the technologies and capabilities that will shape the next generation of computing. For Pasqal, our work in the Kingdom goes well beyond deploying quantum hardware. We want to build long-term partnerships, develop practical applications and contribute to an ecosystem capable of turning quantum computing into real industrial and economic value,” said Wasiq Bokhari, CEO of Pasqal.
