A Hoboken company that builds room-temperature quantum computers just signed a three-year agreement to put its technology in the hands of researchers in Doha. Quantum Computing Inc., known as QCi, will collaborate with Hamad Bin Khalifa University on quantum computing, quantum sensing and quantum communications under the new framework, giving the Qatari institution cloud access to QCi's flagship Dirac-3 system as well as a physical installation in the country.
The agreement, reported by ROI-NJ, calls for joint academic research, executive education programs, industry-focused projects, application development and co-marketing initiatives between the two organizations. QCi describes itself as a vertically integrated quantum company based in Hoboken that delivers integrated quantum, photonics and semiconductor technologies, with operations stretching across Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Virginia. The company and the university say they aim to accelerate adoption of quantum technologies across Qatar and beyond, while building what they call the next generation of quantum talent and leadership.
Cloud Access Now, Hardware Installation Later
Under the deal, QCi will provide Hamad Bin Khalifa University with on-cloud access to the Dirac-3 system and install the machine in Qatar. The Dirac-3 is designed to solve complex optimization problems using entropy quantum computing techniques and can be deployed through the cloud without requiring specialized quantum expertise on the user's end, according to the companies' own description reported by ROI-NJ.
The system itself is unlike the cryogenically cooled quantum computers most people picture. QCi's spec sheet, cited in arXiv research, shows the Dirac-3 runs on a hybrid photonic-electronic architecture using qudits with 200 discrete modes instead of conventional binary qubits, allowing it to tackle integer optimization problems natively. When QCi commercially launched the Dirac-3 in February 2024, the company priced it at $300,000 per unit including installation and warranty, built into a standard 6U rack-mountable chassis that operates at ambient room temperature rather than requiring liquid-helium cooling infrastructure.
Yong Meng Sua, QCi's chief technology officer, framed the partnership in terms of real-world payoff rather than lab experimentation. “Quantum technologies will have their greatest impact when they move beyond the laboratory into practical applications creating measurable value for industry and society,” Sua said, according to ROI-NJ. The two organizations expect to pursue joint research, executive education, industry applications, technical workshops and quantum-focused events, giving students, researchers and industry partners hands-on access to the technology.
A CEO With Hoboken Academic Roots
QCi's leadership has its own local tie. Dr. Yuping Huang became the company's permanent CEO effective January 2026 after being appointed interim CEO and president on April 11, 2025, according to a QCi governance disclosure. Huang simultaneously serves as a physics professor and founder of the Center for Quantum Science and Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, linking the company's executive suite directly to the city's academic research community.
Revenue Surge Precedes the International Push
The Qatar agreement lands just weeks after QCi reported a striking swing in its financials. The company posted $5.6 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2026, a more than 90-fold jump from just $61,000 in the same quarter a year earlier, according to Pulse 2.0. QCi also reported a contracted order backlog of $42.5 million as of June 30, 2026, and ended the quarter holding approximately $1.3 billion in cash, cash equivalents and investments.
That financial momentum has come alongside a rapid buildout of domestic manufacturing capacity. QCi opened its first U.S. thin-film lithium niobate optical chip foundry at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe in May 2025, a facility that runs a 150 mm wafer line with ISO certification, per the same Pulse 2.0 report. During the first half of 2026, the company also acquired Luminar Semiconductor, NuCrypt and NHanced Semiconductors using approximately $180 million in total. The NHanced Semiconductors transaction alone was valued at $73.1 million, with up to another $72 million in performance payments, to launch a second facility it calls Fab 2, adding advanced packaging to its supply chain.
Qatar's Billion-Dollar Quantum Bet
Hamad Bin Khalifa University brings its own track record to the partnership. The university has a Qatar Center for Quantum Computing, known as QC2, and associate professor Dr. Saif Al-Kuwari is identified with the center in reporting. The center is part of the quantum-research context surrounding the partnership. In June 2026, QC2 worked with telecom provider Ooredoo Qatar and Qatar's Ministry of Defense to deploy the country's first quantum-safe communications link over core dark fiber infrastructure using quantum key distribution, according to industry reporting from Quantum Computing Report, as part of efforts to provide strategic protection against future decryption threats.
That track record provides context for the partnership.
QCi Enters Qatar's Quantum Technology Market
QCi is entering Qatar's quantum technology market through its agreement with Hamad Bin Khalifa University. The partnership is intended to support quantum technology adoption in Qatar and beyond, while pursuing research, education and industry applications.
