KAUST Quantum Computing launches National quantum foundry
The Saudi Arabian Quantum Foundry at KAUST marks a new era in sovereign hardware fabrication.
KaUST Quantum Computing
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced the development of the KAUST Quantum Foundry, a major technical advancement in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia's “Vision 2030” policy changed from consumer to producer of commercial-grade, repeatable quantum hardware with the national initiative.
Strategic Change: Research to Industrial Scalability Superconducting qubits and complicated photonic circuits have been created using “bespoke” and lab-specific methods. Scaling up these devices for industrial use is difficult because they are often handcrafted by research teams. KAUST Quantum Foundry uses an industrial-grade, high-precision operating approach to eliminate this bottleneck.
The Foundry provides coordinated, shared access to KAUST's cutting-edge cleanrooms for device prototype and process development, distinguishing it from other nanofabrication institutes. Process standardization is needed to generate quantum hardware as consistently as conventional semiconductors.
Process Design Kits' Power
Process Design Kits (PDKs) underpin the Foundry's technological foundation. These kits transform industry partners and scholars. PDKs provide fabrication recipes and design standards to help engineers create hardware that works consistently.
This shift from “trial and error” academic research creates a reliable path for scaling prototypes into mass-producible quantum devices. The Foundry supports the Kingdom's long-term innovation ambitions and KAUST's national leadership in research infrastructure by implementing these explicit protocols.
A Multi-Platform, Phased Approach
The Foundry is being implemented gradually as infrastructure and understanding improve. The facility is platform-neutral because the architecture for the “quantum winner”—photonic, hybrid, or superconducting—has yet to be determined.
The Foundry supports numerous crucial technology paths:
Superconducting Circuits: Using extremely cold, noise-free conditions for the most popular quantum bits. Quantum photonics uses light for secure communications and speedy computing. Hybrid Platforms: Seeking to combine quantum modalities for more dependable and error-resistant technologies.
Strengthening National Strategic Missions
KAUST Quantum Foundry building is linked to Saudi Arabia's economic diversification and national security goals. The facility is more than an academic exercise because it solves complex scientific problems that standard computing cannot.
The Foundry works with the National Transformation Institute (NTI) to accelerate “early-stage commercialization,” the difficult process of turning a successful laboratory test into a commercially viable industrial product. These activities focus on four essential strategic missions:
Energy: Developing quantum-enhanced sensors for gas and oil reserves and renewable energy networks. Health: Developing new drugs via quantum-powered materials discovery. Food Security: Advanced agricultural modeling. Water Security: Quantum-informed material science improves desalination.
Quantum and AI Convergence
One of KAUST's main advantages is its AI synergy. Traditional supercomputers are reaching their physical limits as AI models become more data-intensive. The KAUST Quantum Foundry develops AI "quantum accelerators" hardware. The Foundry combines quantum simulation and sensing with the university's AI leadership to overcome scientific challenges and make the Kingdom a global center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Talent Gap and Workforce Development
Due to the global quantum skills gap, the Foundry was founded. With its hands-on manufacturing lab, KAUST is training a new generation of Saudi quantum engineers and physicists.
The Foundry emphasizes “hardware-first” quantum literacy training, unlike regional efforts like the “Quantum for Society” competition. This ensures that the Kingdom can build and maintain devices that run such algorithms and generate quantum code.
Quantum Sovereignty Globally
Saudi Arabia plans to create a 1,000-qubit machine and lead the global south in the quantum age with a $2.3 billion national quantum strategy. The KAUST Quantum Foundry may be the "brick and mortar" confirmation of this ambition.
The Kingdom has “strategic quantum sovereignty” since it can develop these components domestically while geopolitical conflicts impair global supply chains for advanced semiconductors and quantum hardware. Building a self-sufficient quantum hardware ecosystem ensures Saudi Arabia's place in a future when quantum technology determines economic and national power.
The KAUST Quantum Foundry is currently open for collaboration with academic and business leaders, so the next quantum revolution may be written on the Red Sea.
