Saudi Aramco tower in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The quantum computer is expected to complement Saudi Arabia's technological drive. AFP
Saudi Aramco tower in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The quantum computer is expected to complement Saudi Arabia's technological drive. AFP
Saudi Aramco tower in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The quantum computer is expected to complement Saudi Arabia's technological drive. AFP
Saudi Arabia has installed its first quantum computer in further boost to its key energy sector, as the kingdom continues to adopt cutting-edge technology across different industries to diversify its economy.
The 200-qubit machine will be built through a partnership between Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil-producing company, and French technology firm Pasqal, the companies said in a joint statement on Monday.
It is scheduled for deployment in the second half of 2025 and is aimed at pioneering the use of the highly-advanced technology in the energy sector, solving complex problems and identifying more use cases for quantum computing.
“This isn't just any quantum computer; it will be the most powerful tool deployed for industrial usages, unlocking a new era of innovation for businesses and society,” Georges-Olivier Reymond, chief executive and co-founder of Paris-based Pasqal, said.
“The era of quantum computing is here. No longer confined to theory, it's transitioning to real-world applications, empowering organisations to solve previously intractable problems at scale.”
Quantum computing uses highly specialised technology to solve complex problems that traditional computers or even supercomputers cannot, or reduce the time it takes to solve them.
A qubit – short for quantum bit – is the basic unit of quantum computing that is more versatile than binary bits in classical computers.
Quantum computers are exponentially faster than its counterparts. In 2019, Google claimed that its Sycamore chip was able to solve a maths problem – that would take 10,000 years – in just 200 seconds.
Currently, some of the world’s biggest technology firms are working with computers with a capacity of about 100 qubits, but to tackle the biggest problems, machines with 100,000 or one million qubits may be required.
Late last year, US technology major IBM announced that it had successfully developed the world's first 1,000-qubit chip, Condor, which more than doubled the previous record of 433 qubits set by IBM’s Osprey chip.
The quantum computer is expected to complement Saudi Arabia's technological drive, as the kingdom continues to roll out initiatives and attract investments to prepare for the economy of the future.
The machine will help integrate advanced solutions into Saudi Aramco's business, and would be “further evidence of our contribution to the growth of the digital economy”, Ahmad Al Khowaiter, Saudi Aramco’s executive vice president for technology and innovation, said.
“In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, we believe it is crucial to seize opportunities presented by new, impactful technologies and we aim to pioneer the use of quantum computing in the energy sector,” he said.
Front from left, Raphael Fauveau, chief financial officer of Pasqal , and Nabil Al Nuaim, senior vice president of digital and IT at Saudi Aramco, at the signing ceremony between the two companies. Standing from left, Wasiq Bokhari, chairman of the board of Pasqal, Jamil Bagawi, senior vice president of national champions at Aramco, Amin H Nasser, president and chief executive of Aramco, Georges-Olivier Reymond, co-founder and chief executive of Pasqal, and Ahmad Al Khowaiter, executive vice president for technology and innovation at Aramco. Photo: Saudi Aramco
Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE LOWDOWN
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Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
