Quantum Computing from an Aussie Defense Perspective
Quantum computing in a Defence context
Points to note…
+ You might ask why anyone would care if old information or old secrets being hacked really matters? For governments, militaries and corporations it is crucial. ‘Old’ but sensitive information regarding military deployments, installations or locations of missile silos for instance, can still be relevant and help adversaries piece together their intelligence map. Commercial secrets, intellectual property (IP), designs, bank transactions will also all be vulnerable.
In 2017 China achieved what no other country has been able to then or since in quantum communications. In a world-first long distance secure quantum communication, Chinese physicists connected Beijing with Shanghai – a distance of over 1,900 kilometres.
+ Therefore, if you want to ensure your data is robust enough to remain secret then you need a way to communicate that will be secure against future quantum computers. At the moment quantum cryptography is the only proven way to do that, but there is a big push to develop more secure classical codes called post-quantum cryptography, Prof Brennen explains.
+ Institutions like Macquarie University, along with the University of Technology Sydney, UNSW and Sydney University are leading the way. Government understands the importance of this technology and in March of this year, the then NSW Minister for Innovation Matt Kean backed a proposal for a Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA), which will see researchers from these four universities collaborate to advance quantum technologies (primarily in quantum computing) and link them to industry.
Source: Australian Defence Magazine. Lincoln Parker, Quantum computing in a Defence context…
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