Cybersecurity enters quantum age as Global Quantum X launches at GISEC

GQX by GITEX to be hosted alongside GISEC Global 2027 in strategic partnership with UAE Cyber Security Council as quantum’s US$2.7 trillion market finds global stage

Dubai, UAE, 17 September 2026:

The sell-out success of the 15th edition of GISEC Global, attended by thousands of cyber professionals from over 130 countries on the opening day at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) has reaffirmed the high international demand for tech collaboration in Dubai, catalysing the launch of a new show uniting the world’s quantum and cybersecurity sectors.

Global Quantum X (GQX) by GITEX, announced today, will convene governments, quantum technology leaders, national cybersecurity authorities, research institutions, enterprise adopters and investors to explore the technologies, applications and security frameworks shaping a new quantum era that could unlock trillions of dollars’ worth of global economic value.

GQX 2027 by GITEX is launched in partnership with GISEC Global – among the world’s top three largest cyber intelligence events – and GITEX, the world’s largest AI and tech ecosystem network. GQX 2027 will be hosted alongside GISEC Global 2027 in strategic partnership with UAE Cyber Security Council, converging the rapidly advancing worlds of quantum technology and cybersecurity as governments and businesses prepare for a new era of digital risk and opportunity.

Preparing for a new quantum era

The announcement comes as quantum technology moves rapidly from scientific research towards commercial application. According to McKinsey's Quantum Technology Monitor 2026, one-third of global enterprises now allocate more than US$10 million annually to quantum initiatives, with quantum technologies potentially unlocking US$2.7 trillion in global economic value over the next decade.

For the cybersecurity community, however, the transition also presents an urgent challenge. The computing capabilities being developed today have the potential to transform industries from financial services and life sciences to logistics and advanced manufacturing, while requiring governments and organisations to rethink how they protect sensitive data, critical infrastructure and digital identities for the decades ahead.

H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, said: “As we welcome the world to GISEC Global’s largest edition yet, the transition to the post-quantum era is one of the most pivotal shifts our industry faces. Meeting it requires the same international collaboration we have championed through this show.

“Launching Global Quantum X allows us to bring quantum-safe migration, sovereign cryptographic capability and national readiness testing to a truly global stage, and to help governments and enterprises everywhere close the gap between today’s defences and tomorrow’s threats.”

Building the global quantum ecosystem

GQX 2027 advances the growing focus on quantum security globally, where post-quantum readiness, sovereign cyber capability and the protection of critical systems form part of the wider Cyber First: The New Digital Order agenda this week at DEC Expo City Dubai.

GQX formalises and accelerates this momentum, where the quantum technology and cybersecurity communities can address both sides of the transition – accelerating commercial adoption while developing the security, governance and cryptographic capabilities required to support it.

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of inD, organiser of GISEC Global and GQX, said: “Quantum computing has crossed the threshold from scientific promise to commercial strategy, and the pace of that shift is accelerating faster than most enterprises have planned for.

“The same computing power that will unlock breakthroughs in medicine, materials and finance will also put today’s encryption at risk, which is why quantum and cybersecurity can no longer be dealt with separately. GQX by GITEX at GISEC Global creates a powerful convergence between the best minds and companies developing the next generation of computing and those responsible for securing it.”

Tech’s next fast-developing frontier

The introduction of GQX by GITEX alongside GISEC Global 2027 from 4-6 May 2027 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre will accelerate cross-border collaboration and investment into one of technology’s fastest-developing frontiers.

GQX will focus on an emerging quantum ecosystem spanning quantum computing, quantum-secured communications and next-generation sensing, while its co-location with GISEC Global will create a particular focus on post-quantum security, cryptographic transition, critical infrastructure protection and national quantum readiness.