Saudi Arabia awards global start-ups for quantum innovation
C4IR Saudi Arabia & WEF's UpLink award Quantum for Society Challenge winners
#SaudiArabia #quantum – Over 300 scientists, innovators, academics and technology leaders gathered in Riyadh today to mark World Quantum Day 2025 at an event hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR Saudi Arabia). Held at King Abdullah City for Science and Technology (KACST)’s innovation hub The Garage, the event celebrated the winners of the Quantum for Society Challenge, a global competition funded by C4IR Saudi Arabia and run by World Economic Forum initiative UpLink. Ten start-ups were awarded for developing scalable, potentially high-impact quantum technology solutions addressing global challenges in health, energy, climate, and industry. KACST also announced a plan to create Quantum Valley, a hub for quantum computing in Saudi Arabia.
SO WHAT? –Saudi Arabia considers investments in quantum technology as strategic and directly aligned with its Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy and build a high-tech, innovation-driven future. Through initiatives like the Quantum for Society Challenge and partnerships with global leaders such as IBM and Pasqal, the Kingdom is laying the foundation for a national quantum ecosystem. In February, the RDIA (Research, Development and Innovation Authority) announced quantum computing as one of the country’s three ‘moonshot goals’. Saudi Arabia aims to develop a scalable, fault tolerant quantum computer by 2045.
Here are some key points from the quantum event held in The Garage today:
Hundreds of scientists, innovators, academics and technology leaders attended the Discovering Quantum Possibilities event hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR Saudi Arabia) at The Garage, t King Abdullah City for Science and Technology (KACST), celebrating World Quantum Day 2025.
The event showcased 10 winners of the Quantum for Society Challenge, selected from a global pool of entries for their potential to deliver real-world societal impact using quantum technology.
Senior Vice President of KACST for Research and Development Dr. Talal bin Ahmad Al-Sudairy also announced plans to establish a Quantum Valley in collaboration with Aramco and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
Launched in 2024, the challenge is jointly led by UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s platform for early-stage impact innovators, and SaudiC4IR Saudi Arabia.
Winning solutions address critical sustainability issues, including drug discovery, groundwater detection, secure communications, wastewater treatment, and global time synchronisation for smart cities.
The 10 start-ups recognised at the Riyadh event were:
Algorithmiq, Finland (accelerated drug discovery)
Nomad Atomics, Australia (quantum sensors for underground dynamics)
Planetai Space, Spain - (AI uses geospatial data to detect natural reserves)
Planqc, Germany - (neutral atom quantum computers for supply chains)
Qnity, Brazil - (molecular sensors that aid drug discovery)
Quantasphere, Saudi Arabia & UK - (enables personalised healthcare treatment)
Quantum Dice, United Kingdom - (ultra-secure codes for cybersecurity)
Quantum Mads, Spain - (improves wastewater treatment efficiency)
Quminex Inc, Canada - (AI for mineral exploration)
Xairos, USA - (quantum timing for smart city infrastructure)
C4IR Saudi Arabia is funding the challenge to advance Saudi Arabia’s strategic ambitions in quantum innovation and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The programme forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy to become a global leader in advanced technology and sustainability through Vision 2030.
ZOOM OUT – Launched in 2021 as part of the World Economic Forum’s global C4IR Network, C4IR Saudi Arabia plays a central role in shaping the governance of emerging technologies within the Kingdom. Operating as a national think tank, it focuses on developing practical frameworks for responsible innovation, aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Through its affiliation with the global network, the centre enables international collaboration on scalable governance models, ensuring the Kingdom is both contributing to and benefiting from global best practices in advanced technology deployment—from AI and quantum computing to biotechnology and beyond.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
LINKS
Watch Discovering Quantum Possibilities (YouTube)
Read more about Saudi Arabia’s quantum computing plans:
AGI by 2050 tops Saudi R&D goals (Middle East AI News)