This week, physicists in Abu Dhabi unboxed the Middle East’s first quantum computer.
In doing so, the UAE joined some of the world’s most powerful nations and biggest technology companies in a global race to achieve “quantum supremacy”, the point at which a quantum computer can solve problems that no ordinary computer could, at mind-numbing speeds.
The assembly of this supercomputer, at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), represents the beginning of a journey that is vital for the UAE not only to safeguard its strategic interests, but also to help solve the most urgent problems confronting humankind.
Quantum computing can take advantage of speed and specificity to help tackle complexities, but it has yet to solve real-world issues, including tackling the climate crisis, creating new cancer treatments and answering questions about the origins of the universe. The potential in the years to come is beyond doubt, however, and Abu Dhabi’s decision to join the US, UK, China, Japan and others will no doubt contribute to the human quest for solutions essential for the survival and well-being of our species. Work under way at the Quantum Research Centre laboratory – one of the seven labs housed under TII – is expected to result in breakthroughs in drug discovery and battery technology.
An increasingly insular and fragmented world can pose myriad security challenges to individual nations. And the UAE's embrace of this exciting technology is important for security and research, particularly as conflicts of the future are likely to be waged in cyberspace. Indeed, as Professor Jose Ignacio Latorre, the chief of research at the Quantum Research Centre, points out, some countries will have to develop their own technological strategies in order to preserve their sovereignty. “There will be a dramatic difference between the countries that own the technology and the ones that depend on it,” Prof Latorre said. “The Emirates, like Singapore or Israel, [and countries] of comparable sizes, cannot depend fully on allies.”
As with most scientific and technological breakthroughs, quantum computing can be a double-edged sword. Amid heightened concerns over data breaches in an increasingly digitised world, it is conceivable that quantum computers could one day upend decades of encryption, thereby posing unprecedented national security threats worldwide. It has taken foresight, therefore, for Abu Dhabi to open a software library to store algorithms capable of fighting off attacks from supercomputers. In March, only a week after it announced plans to build the region’s first quantum computer, TII launched the library for a cyber-threat landscape that includes quantum computing. This is a more prudent approach than simply shunning new technologies that are bound to become an inherent part of our lives.
It is important to note that, just as promising research is under way in the field of quantum computing, a plan is in place to educate future specialists as well, the purpose of which is to engage the country as a whole. Prof Latorre said: “We need companies, oil and gas, and telecommunications, so when a new technology comes, you [are] ready for that ... these efforts should merge with efforts at universities and should also engage industry.”
Indeed, an integrated approach that involves the broader society is necessary to tackle present-day challenges with the purpose of creating a safer, healthier and more sustainable future.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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Norway
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Canada
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Fight card
Preliminaries:
Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)
Main card:
Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)
Title card:
Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)
Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)
Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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