Abu Dhabi has begun building its own quantum computer with the aim of generating breakthroughs in drug discovery and battery technology.
Technology Innovation Institute, the applied research arm of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council, is constructing the computer at its Quantum Research Centre labs, in collaboration with Barcelona-based Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech.
“We are at the cusp of a new era with the advent of quantum computing,” said Faisal Al Bannai, secretary general of the Advanced Technology Research Council.
“We are proud to embark on building one of these wonderful machines."
A quantum computer is a kind of supercomputer, defined simply as a machine that can compute at a much faster rate than a typical modern computer.
Quantum computing represents "the ability to condense decades or even centuries of number-crunching into minutes", a report compiled by the World Government Summit and PwC said.
The field represents a dramatic shift in computing power that will shape the future security and prosperity of nations and companies.
José Ignacio Latorre, chief researcher at the Quantum Research Centre labs, said work was already underway and the aim was to make the first 'made in Abu Dhabi' quantum chips by the end of the summer.
“The first step in the process is to build a laboratory, equip it and complete installation of the cleanroom equipment, all of which is on track," he said.
This quantum computer will be the first in the UAE.
Mr Latorre said the lab in Abu Dhabi had opted to use superconducting qubits, which is the same technology that Google and IBM are using to build their quantum computers.
Quantum computers work beyond the binary digital realm of 1s and 0s to achieve more capacity and speed.
Originally introduced in the 1960s, supercomputers have been getting exponentially faster ever since, taking on computationally complicated problems in fields like climate research, oil and gas exploration and molecular modelling to help surface new drugs and materials.
But quantum computing is a newer field, popularised by theoretical physicist John Preskill, who came up with a formulation of quantum supremacy, or the ability for quantum computers to do things that are not possible for ordinary computers.
Ever since, the world's biggest economies, from the US, Russia, China and Japan, as well as tech titans IBM, Alibaba and Google have been battling for supremacy in the field of quantum computing.
But so far, only very limited computational problems have been used to test speed. Quantum computers are not yet capable of solving practical problems. But when they do, their potential is vast and may rapidly speed up human discovery.
For example, since quantum computers can simulate and design molecular structures at the atomic level, one will be able to see how a new drug will work in a human being, someday circumventing testing on humans or animals.
A quantum computer could one day answer questions about the origins of the universe and lingering questions about space and time.
In 2019, Google claimed it built the first machine to achieve "quantum supremacy", meaning a computer that was the first to outperform the world's best supercomputers at quantum calculation. Its prototype quantum computer completed in less than four minutes a calculation that would have taken a supercomputer 10,000 years to complete.
Then, in December last year, a Chinese team based primarily at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, said their quantum computer was 10 billion times faster than Google's.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
