The United Arab Emirates is planning to build its own quantum computer.
The Quantum Research Centre (QRC) team at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi will construct the country's first quantum computer in the UAE capital, in collaboration with Barcelona-based Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech researchers.
“We are at the cusp of a new era with the advent of quantum computing,” H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of ATRC, said. “We are proud to embark on building one of these wonderful machines which will help us in various fields, from discovering new medicines to making new materials to designing better batteries to various Artificial Intelligence applications.”
Quantum chips made in UAE
“The first step in the process is to build a laboratory, equip it and complete installation of the cleanroom equipment, all of which is on track. Once done, the first qubits will be prepared, characterized and benchmarked. We expect the first simple quantum chips ‘Made in Abu Dhabi’ should come by the end of the summer,” Chief Researcher, Professor José Ignacio Latorre said.
The TII is part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and was set up in November 2020 to lead the country’s research in areas such as quantum computing, robotics, cryptography, and security.
Qilimanjaro is a quantum computing startup spun out of the University of Barcelona, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies.
