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A quantum leap forward: The scientists building a next-gen machine in the heart of Abu Dhabi

Quantum technologies promise to transform our lives, and the Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi is on track to lead that revolution.

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The promise of quantum

"Quantum gives us a chance - just a chance - to solve the problems of our age in hours or minutes."

says Prof. Dr. Frederico Brito, Acting Director of Quantum Computing Hardware Laboratories at the Technology Innovation Institute.

In Abu Dhabi, that promise is being pursued with laser focus. As part of its Vision 2030 strategy to become a global leader in innovation, the country is investing heavily in advanced technologies that could redefine how key industries - healthcare, security, transport, and more - operate.

The practical applications of quantum are infinite.

In healthcare, quantum could accelerate drug discovery and genome sequencing. In energy, it could optimize grid modelling to support the clean energy transition. And in finance, quantum algorithms could reshape how we model risk and detect fraud.

Bridging East and West

But building a machine capable of doing any of this is one of the most complex scientific and engineering feats of our time. That’s where Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute, and its Quantum Research Center (QRC), come in.

Tasked with delivering the breakthroughs needed to make quantum applications viable, QRC has quickly become a national asset. “The vision is bold, but it’s serious,” says Brito. “Abu Dhabi is creating an ecosystem that probably only two or three places in the world are capable of building.”

Building a quantum machine is widely accepted as the most complex computer engineering task of our time. It means not only controlling matter at the atomic scale but also maintaining the ultra-cold environments - minus 273.15°C - needed to preserve quantum states long enough to compute.

At QRC, this challenge is met with a mix of energy and pragmatism. The facility is one of the most advanced quantum hardware labs in the world. As Postdoctoral Researcher Juan Esteban Villegas Delgado explains, in an environment where everything still needs to be invented, no challenge is off-limits.

"There’s plenty of opportunity because there’s so much to do,” says Juan. “Nobody shies away from complex problems. Instead, we ask: how do we make it happen?"

This rare blend of entrepreneurial spirit, engineering rigor, and watertight government backing means QRC scientists can fabricate chips in-house and offer open-access facilities for researchers to build with them. This creates a national, end-to-end ecosystem for quantum: from manufacturing and development to deployment and scaling. This gives QRC a clear edge over its competitors.

"Using existing processes here in Abu Dhabi means that, once it works, it scales."
Juan Esteban Villegas Delgado,
Postdoctoral Researcher

Different minds, shared vision

Quantum breakthroughs don’t happen in isolation. They depend on collaboration across disciplines, perspectives, and specialisms. Abu Dhabi has embraced this mindset in its Vision 2030, investing heavily in building a world-renowned scientific community.

Today, TII hosts researchers and scientists from more than 90 nationalities. Supported by generous funding and global partnerships, this diversity of thought drives the kind of bold, specialist innovation that defines QRC.

Take two of QRC’s lead researchers: Senior Researcher Dr. Tatiana Kazieva, with a background in laser physics and quantum communications, and Associate Researcher Laura Martinez Gallego, a former quantum algorithm expert in Spain. Their expertise spans hardware and software - two sides of the same coin.

"People come with different experiences, different views," says Kazieva. "It’s never ‘my knowledge, my idea.’ It’s a team effort, and I’ve never worked with such a great one."

Gallego agrees. "We all come from different fields. The only way to build something new is to share knowledge and collaborate."

That approach is already paying off. QRC recently announced a major milestone in the first successful demonstration of a quantum solver. Programmed with over 7,000 variables using just 17 qubits, it sets a new benchmark in solving large-scale optimization problems.

Now, as the Technology Innovation Institute and Quantum Research Center look to the next advancement in quantum, the promise of a new generation of computing feels closer than ever before.

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