Is 2020 the Year the U.S. Government and Private Sector Get Serious about Quantum Security?
Getting America Quantum Ready In 2020
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+ [Arthur Herman] predicted in December 2018 in this column, that 2019 would be the year of America’s Quantum Leap. Certainly the development of quantum computers continued apace, but there were also some key events that year that demonstrated that quantum technology is here to stay and will decisively shape all our futures. They also demonstrate that this year America needs to get ready for the risks as well as the opportunities, when the full impact of that technology finally hits.
+ The first landmark came when Google reported that its quantum computer, dubbed Sycamore, had solved a mathematical calculation in 200 seconds that would take a supercomputer 10,000 years. It was the kind of breakthrough quantum scientists like to describe as “quantum supremacy.” Google’s quantum computer competitors immediately pounced on the announcement, asserting that Google’s claim was overblown.
2019 has shown the dimensions of quantum-based technology, and the imminence of the threat. 2020 will have to be the year the U.S. government, and the private sector, get serious about making us all quantum safe before time runs out.
+ The second landmark in 2019 was the authorization of funding for quantum information science under the National Quantum Initiative Act passed and signed by President Trump late in 2018. That $1.25 billion funding for programs at the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has signaled that the United States is serious about keeping its leadership in the quantum sector. It also means that Washington realizes that without federal oversight and support, this 21st century version of the race to the moon won’t happen—or worse, will end up with China securing the quantum future, given the billions Beijing is currently pouring into quantum research and technology, alongside Chinese mega-companies like Ali Baba.
+ The need to stay abreast of developments in hack-proof quantum communications is what inspired the third landmark event of 2019, which happened here at the Hudson Institute’s Quantum Alliance Initiative. This was the convening of a consortium of companies, research labs, and universities from eight countries to develop global standards for quantum communication technology such as Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which were presented to the International Telecommunications Union for final approval. The standards were proof of how far the U.S. can advance quantum technology, when it joins forces with other like-minded countries and allies.
Source: Forbes. Arthur Herman, Getting America Quantum Ready In 2020…
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