Dubai quantum summit gathers global technology leaders

Dubai will host the third Quantum Innovation Summit from September 28 to 30, bringing government bodies, researchers, technology companies and investors together as the UAE expands work on quantum computing, secure communications and post-quantum cybersecurity.

The event will be held at the Grand Hyatt Dubai Conference & Exhibition Centre and is hosted by the UAE Cyber Security Council for a second consecutive year, with Vernewell Group organising the programme. Organisers say the 2026 edition will focus on “Quantum and Emerging Frontiers: Advancing Global Innovation and Technological Leadership”, linking quantum technologies with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced computing, photonics, space systems, robotics and critical infrastructure.

The three-day programme begins on September 28 with the Quantum Futures Forum and related academic and training activities, while the main summit conference and exhibition are scheduled for September 29 and 30. The programme is designed to connect policy discussions with research, investment and potential commercial deployment, including sessions on governance, cyber resilience, infrastructure readiness and the convergence of artificial intelligence with quantum systems.

The gathering comes as the UAE steps up practical preparations for a technological shift that could affect computing, communications and data protection. The Cyber Security Council and Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council agreed in May to deploy and scale quantum-safe cybersecurity tools, supporting a coordinated national transition towards systems intended to withstand future attacks using quantum computers.

That initiative includes cryptographic libraries developed by the Technology Innovation Institute, a Crypto Discovery Tool created by QuantumGate and entanglement-based quantum key distribution technology developed by the institute and commercialised through VentureOne. The national Crypto Discovery Tool is intended to map cryptographic assets across critical infrastructure and help organisations identify systems that may need to migrate to post-quantum protections.

The UAE has also incorporated post-quantum cryptography into its National Encryption Policy, which sets requirements covering encryption of data at rest and in motion, key management, implementation and monitoring. The policy reflects a broader security concern facing governments and companies worldwide: sufficiently powerful quantum machines could eventually undermine widely used public-key encryption methods, forcing organisations to replace vulnerable cryptographic systems before such capabilities mature.

Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute has simultaneously expanded domestic quantum research. Its Quantum Research Center works on algorithms, communications, computing, middleware and sensing, using a full-stack approach based partly on superconducting circuits. The institute said in February that it had opened cloud access for partners to quantum processing units developed by its hardware laboratory, with systems ranging from five to 25 qubits.

A separate cloud interface launched in March gives external users access to quantum-inspired algorithms developed by the same research centre. Those classical algorithms draw on methods associated with quantum computing and are being explored for applications including optimisation, simulation, computational fluid dynamics and protein design.

The summit is therefore expected to place particular emphasis on the transition from laboratory research to operational use. Organisers have listed critical infrastructure operators, policymakers, universities, investors and emerging-technology companies among the participants, with discussions expected to cover institutional readiness, standards, workforce development and investment pathways. Organisers say delegations are expected from more than 40 countries.

Dubai’s event also forms the centrepiece of Global Quantum Week, a Vernewell-led programme running from September 25 to October 1. Activities include community events, learning programmes and institutional meetings, with Technology Innovation Institute Quantum Day scheduled for October 1 as a closing applied-research programme.

The summit’s September dates were confirmed after organisers moved the event from an earlier April schedule. They said registrations, sponsorship agreements and other participation commitments would carry over to the revised dates, which were chosen to improve international participation and coordination with institutional partners.

The official Dubai events calendar lists the summit at the Grand Hyatt Dubai from September 28 to 30. Organisers are also promoting exhibition areas and business-to-business meetings intended to connect research organisations and technology suppliers with government and industry users.