Dubai Quantum Team Ranks Second In Global Advanced Materials Contest

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) As the UAE steps up efforts to build a stronger quantum computing ecosystem, a Dubai-based team has secured a top finish in an international competition focused on advanced materials research and molecular simulation.

Merlin Quantum, the quantum applications division of Merlin Digital, was named runner-up in the Advanced Materials track of the 2026 Global Industry Challenge, a competition that invited teams worldwide to apply quantum computing and related technologies to industry-defined problems. The awards were announced during the Quantum World Congress, held at the University of Maryland in the United States from September 23 to 25.

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The Advanced Materials track was established by Mitsubishi Chemical Group and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Participants were tasked with exploring how quantum computing and generative artificial intelligence could be used to improve materials and molecular simulations and help identify promising new materials.

At the centre of the challenge was the Generative Quantum Eigensolver (GQE), an algorithm used to simulate molecules and materials. Teams were asked to investigate whether emerging quantum technologies could help researchers navigate large materials-design spaces more efficiently and improve the accuracy of computational modelling.

According to the company, its submission was executed on actual quantum hardware rather than relying entirely on simulations. Merlin Quantum said some calculations reached 143 qubits and that results were verified against exact classical computations.

The team also ran its computational engine across nine different quantum hardware platforms, an approach that reflects ongoing efforts by researchers to determine how different quantum architectures perform on practical workloads.

Importantly, the submission compared quantum and conventional approaches rather than assuming quantum systems would always outperform traditional computing methods. The team reported that the analysis included cases where classical techniques delivered stronger results.

The challenge focused on applications ranging from materials discovery to advanced semiconductor development, including materials relevant to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) chip manufacturing.

“Quantum computing has the potential to address some of the most complex computational challenges facing industry today,” said Sharad Bachani, chief executive of Merlin Quantum and Merlin Digital.“At Merlin Quantum, we are focused on turning that potential into practical applications, including materials simulation, while testing quantum hardware against real-world requirements.”

The recognition comes shortly after the team's participation in the Quantum Innovation Summit in Dubai, where academics, researchers and technology companies discussed the future development of quantum technologies.

For the UAE's emerging quantum sector, the result highlights the growing involvement of locally based teams in international efforts to test quantum computing against real industrial and scientific challenges.

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