Abu Dhabi building UAE’s first quantum computer

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is working to build a quantum computer, which will mark an important computing milestone for the region.

Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the dedicated ‘applied research’ pillar of Abu Dhabi’s newly-established Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), announced on Tuesday that its Quantum Research Centre (QRC) will construct the quantum computer in the UAE capital.

The project will be led by chief researcher, Professor Jose Ignacio Latorre, and it will be conducted in collaboration with Barcelona-based Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech researchers.

A quantum computer uses quantum mechanics phenomena such as ‘superposition’ and ‘entanglement’ to generate and manipulate subatomic particles like electrons or photons — quantum bits also known as ‘qubits’. These are used to create exponentially stronger processing powers, thus allowing for complex calculations to be completed faster than is possible with powerful supercomputers.

According to the professor, there are several technologies to construct quantum computers, including superconducting qubits, ion traps, optical qubits and spin dots. QRC has opted to use superconducting qubits, which is the same technology that Google and IBM use in building their own quantum computers.

QRC is one of seven dedicated research centres at ATRC’s TII. Other research areas include autonomous robotics, cryptography, advanced materials, digital security, directed energy and secure systems. Promoting transformative technologies to accelerate change, ATRC plays a strategic role in directing, funding and leading emerging fields of research and technology, while stimulating and sustaining a knowledge-based economy that reinforces Abu Dhabi and the broader UAE’s position as a global innovation hub.