The quantum security system is designed to protect cognitive cities from cyber attacks through the most advanced computers.

UAE's emerging smart hub Dubai is accompanied by projects like NEOM in Saudi Arabia and a tech-equipped space in the middle of Qatar's capital Doha, as the Middle East promises to evolve as a cluster of smart cities, since Egypt has also joined the fray with ambitions of building 37 such ecosystems. But considering the level of connectivity that Middle Eastern economies provide, to facilitate digitisation on a massive scale at an unprecedented pace, the region faces the risk of a cyber pandemic with hackers developing new ploys faster than cyber security experts can build fences.

In a future where data will be the most valuable asset and every business strategy or policy decision will be driven by the seamless flow of information as well as insights generated from it, advanced supercomputers will also be used for more sophisticated cyber attacks against firms and government infrastructures. Since cyber criminals remain a threat for ambitious smart cities taking shape in the gulf region due to economic or political reasons, Saudi Arabia's NEOM has tied up with a firm to create a quantum security mechanism for cognitive cities.

Cognitive cities will be those that are built from scratch and have AI deeply embedded as part of their very foundation, which makes the entire space vulnerable to collapse in case hackers are able to breach the systems that control everything. Quantum computers are set to be the most powerful devices in the near future, since they can function a 100 million times faster than the best supercomputer available right now.

If cyber criminals are able to acquire that kind of technology to launch attacks on cities like NEOM, the authorities will have to be prepared with cyber-security systems that can match up to quantum computing. This is why Arqit will be developing and testing the technology in a smart infrastructure that's being built in NEOM.

Cognitive security refers to the kind of AI which replicates the human thought process, in order to anticipate cyber threats and develop a fitting response.