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Aramco Signs Quantum Computer Agreement With Pasqal
The partnership will see Pasqal install and operate the 200-qubit device in Saudi Arabia, with a scheduled deployment in mid-2025.
Aramco, one of the world’s leading companies in the integrated energy and chemicals sector, has signed a deal with Pasqal, a global pioneer in neutral atom quantum computing, to install Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer in the second half of 2025.
Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Aramco EVP of Technology & Innovation, explained: “Aramco is delighted to partner with Pasqal to bring cutting-edge, high-performance quantum computing capabilities to the Kingdom. 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. Our agreement with Pasqal allows us to harness the expertise of a leading player in this field as we continue to build state-of-the-art solutions into our business”.
The 200-qubit quantum computer will initially be set to a base-level analog mode. Within the following 12 months, the system will see upgrades (known as “analog-digital mode”), which will give it even greater computational power.
Pasqal and Aramco wish to leverage the quantum computer to establish a regional center for quantum research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to find new applications for the energy sector. The plans involve partnering with leading academic institutions to find breakthroughs in quantum algorithm development.
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Georges-Olivier Reymond, Pasqal CEO & Co-founder, stated: “The era of quantum computing is here. No longer confined to theory, it’s transitioning to real-world applications, empowering organizations to solve previously intractable problems at scale. Since launching Pasqal in 2019, we have directed our efforts towards concrete quantum computing algorithms immediately applicable to customer use cases. Through this agreement, we’ll be at the forefront of accelerating commercial adoption of this transformative technology in Saudi Arabia”.
The agreement forms part of Pasqal’s greater strategy and activity in Saudi Arabia after establishing an office in the Kingdom in 2023. During the same year, Aramco’s Wa’ed Ventures also participated in a Series B fundraising round for Pasqal.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
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The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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