The rate at which quantum computing is hitting the media stream is ever-increasing. This piece is a compilation derived from The Shorts posted on The Qubit Report this week. Mea Cubitt
Business & Industry
Quantum computing today – commercially viable, or held up by technical obstacles? | Estimates of the commercial availability of quantum computing range from “right now” to “ten years.” No matter when, one thing is certain: encryption is in peril. A quantum computer has enormous power to break anything digital. Source: diginomica. Quantum computing today – commercially viable, or held up by technical obstacles?
Quantum Computing at an Inflection Point: Are we Ready for a New Paradigm | Quantum computers leverage quantum mechanics to enable complex processing power enabling computation within a finite timeframe. As the industry reaches a peak of uncertainties in classical computing, researchers see an opportunity in quantum computing to resolve these uncertainties by unraveling the quantum mechanism that quantum physicists built for over a century. Organizations and academics have been working in tandem to conceptualize the quantum world through quantum computers. This article evaluates the tipping points of the quantum computers in the organization, the barrier of adoption, and a mitigation strategy. The article involves an extensive literature review of the current state and future application expectations from quantum computers. As part of this article, the authors interviewed senior industry technology experts to explore quantum computers’ introduction in the industry, and discussed the barriers to adopting quantum computing. Source: IEEE Xplore. Quantum Computing at an Inflection Point: Are we Ready for a New Paradigm…
E.ON allies with IBM Quantum to Advance Energy Transition Goals | IBM and E.ON aim to drive the transformation of the energy industry with Quantum Computing. E.ON is now the first utilities company in Europe to work with IBM Quantum to implement quantum solutions for their critical workflow. The goal is to explore the potential of quantum computing to optimize the world’s rapidly decentralized energy infrastructure. Source: e.on. E.ON allies with IBM Quantum to Advance Energy Transition Goals…
Why Amazon Might Become the Largest Quantum Consumer | These are still early days for quantum computing, far too soon to talk about domain-specific quantum systems. But if there are areas hungrier than ever for what quantum is best at—dense optimization problems at scale—the future cannot arrive fast enough. Source: FINTECH ZOOM. Why Amazon Might Become the Largest Quantum Consumer…
Want to extend your lifespan? Pin your hopes on tech | If you live in Africa, and depending on what part of the continent, you have survived malaria, dysentery, ebola, cholera, polio, and/or HIV/AIDS. The outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) around 2002/3 caused thousands of sicknesses and deaths in more than 20 countries. Source: TWeb. Want to extend your lifespan? Pin your hopes on tech…
Startups should look to state-of-the-art tech to tackle diseases affecting women | Startups devoted to reproductive and women’s health are on the rise. However, most of them deal with women’s fertility: birth control, ovulation and the inability to conceive. The broader field of women’s health remains neglected. Source: Techcrunch. Startups should look to state-of-the-art tech to tackle diseases affecting women…
Quantum Security & New Frontiers In Tech Could Present Fresh Market Opportunities | A new age of data breaches and technology advancement has caused a stir in the world of encrypted data. An article on Forbes this quarter highlights the idea that until recently, there’ve only been a few ways to protect vital data and the networks that host it from mass threats of quantum computer decryption. Source: THE BUFFALO NEWS. Quantum Security & New Frontiers In Tech Could Present Fresh Market Opportunities…
Cybersecurity & Cryptography
SSL, the team behind Lightway’s cryptography | When we created Lightway, our groundbreaking VPN protocol, security and privacy were our top priorities. We chose to incorporate wolfSSL, a well-established, open-source cryptography library that has been extensively vetted by third parties, including against the FIPS 140-2 standard. Source: ExpressVPN. SSL, the team behind Lightway’s cryptography…
NSA Updates FAQ on Post-Quantum Cybersecurity | The National Security Agency (NSA) released a frequently asked questions document on Quantum Computing and Post-Quantum Cryptography. The document answers several questions such as “What is a quantum computer?” and “What makes one cryptographically relevant?” Further information is provided on the Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite, the Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Program, the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), and future algorithms and cryptography. Source: quantum.gov. NSA Updates FAQ on Post-Quantum Cybersecurity…
BUT opens a unique laboratory of quantum security | As of today, the new laboratory with the so-called quantum communication infrastructure is available to experts from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication of the Brno University of Technology. The laboratory will enable scientists to work on next-generation computer networks that will also be protected from quantum computer attacks, to which the vast majority of current networks, including the Internet, are vulnerable. Source: BUT. BUT opens a unique laboratory of quantum security…
Barcelona Supercomputing Center Powers Encrypted Neural Networks with Intel Tech | Homomorphic encryption provides two extraordinary benefits: first, it has the potential to be secure against intrusion by even quantum computers; second, it allows users to use the data for computation without necessitating decryption, enabling offload of secure data to commercial clouds and other external locations. However – as researchers from Intel and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) explained – homomorphic encryption “is not exempt from drawbacks that render it currently impractical in many scenarios,” including that “the size of the data increases fiercely when encrypted,” limiting its application for large neural networks. Source: datanami. Barcelona Supercomputing Center Powers Encrypted Neural Networks with Intel Tech…
AWS researcher merges the power of two quantum computers to help make cryptography keys stronger | Combining the capabilities of two quantum computers, a researcher from the AWS Centre for Quantum Computing has come up with a new way to create truly random numbers that are necessary to protect sensitive data online, ranging from blockchain ledgers to government secrets. Source: ZDnet. AWS researcher merges the power of two quantum computers to help make cryptography keys stronger…
Amazon is Developing Revolutionary Quantum Technology | Random numbers are the basis of cryptography keys. These keys can in turn be used to encrypt critical data, by encoding information into an unreadable mush for anyone but those who are equipped with the appropriate key to decode the message. The more random the key is, the harder it is to crack by a malicious actor trying to get their hands on the data. Source: iHLS. Amazon is Developing Revolutionary Quantum Technology…
ADVA leads AI-NET-PROTECT project to build resilient and secure private networks | ADVA (FSE: ADV) today announced that it’s leading the AI-NET-PROTECT project, driving automated resilience and security in private networks and critical infrastructure. The project will address urgent challenges, including the threat of quantum computing to break the encryption that businesses and governments currently rely on to ensure data confidentiality and availability. AI-NET-PROTECT is a consortium of European industry and research partners working together to develop open and scalable network architectures with AI-based management and network protection. The initiative will develop technology that leverages real-time telemetry and intelligent control, helping to increase automation, simplify operations and safeguard sensitive information. Source: ADVA. ADVA leads AI-NET-PROTECT project to build resilient and secure private networks…
The Post-Quantum Cryptography World Is Coming: Here’s How to Prepare | Have you ever sat in traffic and cursed the town planners? For years, you may have watched as the town approved new subdivisions and stores along the roads you drive often. And you wondered when they would add a new lane, extend a road or install a new stoplight. But think about this: If you’re skipping over news articles about quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography, you’re doing the same thing in relation to your business that town planners seem to do relative to new construction — waiting for the negative impacts before fixing the issue. Source: securityIntelligence. The Post-Quantum Cryptography World Is Coming: Here’s How to Prepare…</
Technology & Hardware
Photonic Processors Light the Way | Ongoing advances in electronics and computing have introduced opportunities to achieve things that once seemed inconceivable: build autonomous machines, solve complex deep learning problems, and communicate instantaneously across the planet. Yet, for all the advances, today’s systems—which rely on electronic processors—are grounded in a frustrating reality: the sheer physics of electrons limits their bandwidth and forces them to produce enormous heat, which means they draw vast amounts of energy. Source: COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM. Photonic Processors Light the Way…
LANL scientists developing electrically-pumped lasers from colloidal Q-dots | Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, (Los Alamos, NM, USA) have assessed the status of research into colloidal quantum dot lasers with a focus on prospective electrically pumped devices, or laser diodes. Source: optics.org. LANL scientists developing electrically-pumped lasers from colloidal Q-dots…
How has the pandemic accelerated technological developments in the logistics and supply chain space? | Five industry experts tackle this topic head-on at the Innovation in Transportation and Logistics Summit at the V Hotel Dubai, Al Habtoor City – Sheikh Zayed Road, – the United Arab Emirates Source: logistics. How has the pandemic accelerated technological developments in the logistics and supply chain space?
Fast quantum random number generator fits on a fingertip | Smartphones could soon come equipped with a quantum-powered source of random numbers after researchers in China developed a quantum random number generator (QRNG) chip small enough to sit comfortably on a fingertip. What’s more, the new integrated photonic chip generates random numbers at rate of 18.8 gigabits per second – a record-high rate that should allow the generator to interface with the ever-increasing speed of Internet communications. Source: physicsworld. Fast quantum random number generator fits on a fingertip…
Discovery Paves Way for Improved Quantum Computing Devices | Physicists and engineers have found a way to identify and address imperfections in materials for one of the most promising technologies in commercial quantum computing. The University of Queensland team was able to develop treatments and optimize fabrication protocols in common techniques for building superconducting circuits on silicon chips. Source: ScitechDaily. Discovery Paves Way for Improved Quantum Computing Devices…
The Coretec Group Builds on its Intellectual Property Portfolio with Si Quantum Dots | The Coretec Group, Inc., (OTCQB: CRTG) (the “Company”) has further expanded on its IP portfolio and filed a provisional patent: “Routes to Silicon Quantum Dots”. The patent application targets novel routes to making Silicon Quantum Dots (SiQDs) in an efficient and highly scalable way to meet the needs of global industries. Source: AP NEWS. The Coretec Group Builds on its Intellectual Property Portfolio with Si Quantum Dots…
Researchers use organic semiconductor nanotubes to create new electrochemical actuator | (Nanowerk News) As recently as 2019, spin defects known as qubits were discovered in 2D materials (hexagonal boron nitride), which could amplify the field of ultrathin quantum sensing. These scientists hit a snag in their discovery that has unleashed a scientific race to resolve the issues. Source: nanowerk. Researchers use organic semiconductor nanotubes to create new electrochemical actuator…
Researchers developed world’s smallest chip for beta quantum random number generators | SEOUL — Researchers from South Korea’s two leading state research bodies have developed a core chip for quantum random number generators that provide true random numbers at high speed to fundamentally prevent hacking. They opened the path for commercialization by miniaturizing a beta quantum random number generator into a 1.5mm chip. Source: Aju Business Daily. Researchers developed world’s smallest chip for beta quantum random number generators…
Algorithms & Software
Large-Scale Simulations Of The Brain May Need To Wait For Quantum Computers | Looking back at the history of computers, it’s hard to overestimate the rate at which computing power has scaled in the course of just a single human lifetime. But yet, existing classical computers have fundamental limits. If quantum computers are successfully built and eventually fully come online, they will be able to tackle certain classes of problems that elude classical computers. And they may be the computational tool needed to fully understand and simulate the brain. Source: Forbes. Large-Scale Simulations Of The Brain May Need To Wait For Quantum Computers…
Artificial brain networks simulated with new quantum materials | Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking scientific productivity while isolated from the spread of bubonic plague is legendary. University of California San Diego physicists can now claim a stake in the annals of pandemic-driven science. Source: PHYS.ORG. Artificial brain networks simulated with new quantum materials…
AMD boffins come up with better quantum computing architecture | AMD boffins have filed a patent application that looks toward a more efficient and reliable quantum computing architecture, thanks to a conventional multi-SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) approach and a bit of theoretical teleporting. Source: fudzilla. AMD boffins come up with better quantum computing architecture…
Are you quantum or not? Wits PhD student cracks the high-dimensional quantum code | Isaac Nape, an emerging South African talent in the study of quantum optics, is part of a crack team of Wits physicists who led an international study that revealed the hidden structures of quantum entangled states. The study was published in the renowned scientific journal, Nature Communications, on Friday, 27 August 2021. Source: UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND JOHANNES BURG. Are you quantum or not? Wits PhD student cracks the high-dimensional quantum code…
“Coinflip” Computing Could Help Solve Mysteries of Physics | If you’ve ever asked a car mechanic how long a part will last until it breaks, odds are they shrugged their shoulders. They know how long parts last on average, and they can see when one is close to breaking. But knowing how many miles are left is extremely difficult, even using a supercomputer, because the exact moment a belt snaps or a battery dies is to some extent random. Source: Technology Networks Informatics. “Coinflip” Computing Could Help Solve Mysteries of Physics…
University Of Vienna: Researchers Find A Way To Check That Quantum Computers Return Accurate Answers | Quantum computers are advancing at a rapid pace and are already starting to push the limits of the world’s largest supercomputers. Yet, these devices are extremely sensitive to external influences and thus prone to errors which can change the result of the computation. This is particularly challenging for quantum computations that are beyond the reach of our trusted classical computers, where we can no longer independently verify the results through simulation. “In order to take full advantage of future quantum computers for critical calculations we need a way to ensure the output is correct, even if we cannot perform the calculation in question by other means,” says Chiara Greganti from the University of Vienna. Source: india educationDiary.com. University Of Vienna: Researchers Find A Way To Check That Quantum Computers Return Accurate Answers…
The digital risers and fallers in this year’s global country rankings revealed | Based on data from the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union, this year’s global rankings of which countries are best navigating the ‘digital revolution’ has been revealed in the annual ‘Digital Riser Report’. Source: diginomica. The digital risers and fallers in this year’s global country rankings revealed…
Researchers Speed Up Quantum Computing with Advances from Algorithms to Sensors | The momentum keeps rolling as recent research into quantum computing and related technologies has brought three innovative potential approaches for advancing the quantum field. Source: AALL ABOUT CIRCUTS. Researchers Speed Up Quantum Computing with Advances from Algorithms to Sensors…
Researchers find a way to check that quantum computers return accurate answers | Quantum computers are advancing at a rapid pace and are already starting to push the limits of the world’s largest supercomputers. Yet, these devices are extremely sensitive to external influences and thus prone to errors which can change the result of the computation. This is particularly challenging for quantum computations that are beyond the reach of our trusted classical computers, where we can no longer independently verify the results through simulation. “In order to take full advantage of future quantum computers for critical calculations we need a way to ensure the output is correct, even if we cannot perform the calculation in question by other means,” says Chiara Greganti from the University of Vienna. Source: universitat innsbruck. Researchers find a way to check that quantum computers return accurate answers…
Government & Policy
MSU awarded $20M grant for quantum technology development | With a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Montana State University and the University of Arkansas will establish the MonArk Quantum Foundry to accelerate the development of quantum materials and devices. The foundry will assist those studying 2D materials for quantum technologies by creating tools to aid their research and infrastructure to facilitate the exchange of ideas across academia and industry. Source: MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY. MSU awarded $20M grant for quantum technology development…
IBM: Governments and enterprises need to migrate to quantum safe cryptography today | Investors and corporations are betting heavily on quantum computing as this industry is set to create up to $850 billion in annual value by 2040, according to a recent BCG report. Source: ITP.net. IBM: Governments and enterprises need to migrate to quantum safe cryptography today…
NSF announces Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes for biological sensing and quantum simulation | Expanding upon its 2020 establishment of three Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, the U.S. National Science Foundation is now launching two additional institutes to advance quantum biological sensing and quantum simulation. As with last year’s cohort, NSF expects to support each institute with an investment of $25 million over its multi-year lifecycle. Source: National Science Foundation. NSF announces Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes for biological sensing and quantum simulation…
With $55M third fund, Scout Ventures is funding veterans ready to tackle the hardest technical challenges | When it comes to people pushing the frontiers of science, few institutions can match the talent of the Department of Defense, the intelligence agencies and the U.S. national laboratory system. With ample budgets and flexible oversight under that aura of national security, ambitious scientists and engineers are working on everything from quantum computing to next-generation satellites. Source: yahoo!life. With $55M third fund, Scout Ventures is funding veterans ready to tackle the hardest technical challenges…
U.S. Department of Energy Announces $61 Million to Advance Breakthroughs in Quantum Information Science | The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $61 million in funding for infrastructure and research projects to advance quantum information science (QIS). QIS is the science of the extremely small, where molecules, atoms, and light can defy traditional laws of physics. Advances in QIS can enable new forms of computing, simulation, communication, and sensing that can advance breakthroughs needed to combat the climate crisis and strengthen America’s competitiveness. Source: Brookhaven National Labatory. U.S. Department of Energy Announces $61 Million to Advance Breakthroughs in Quantum Information Science…
Demystifying Australia’s quantum potential | In the early 1990s, Australia’s quantum physics industry started, in part, when Robert Clark joined UNSW and founded the National Magnet Laboratory and Semiconductor Nanofabrication Facility. Source: INFOMATIONAGE. Demystifying Australia’s quantum potential…
Science & Research
One Lab’s Quest to Build Space-Time Out of Quantum Particles | The prospects for directly testing a theory of quantum gravity are poor, to put it mildly. To probe the ultra-tiny Planck scale, where quantum gravitational effects appear, you would need a particle accelerator as big as the Milky Way galaxy. Likewise, black holes hold singularities that are governed by quantum gravity, but no black holes are particularly close by — and even if they were, we could never hope to see what’s inside. Quantum gravity was also at work in the first moments of the Big Bang, but direct signals from that era are long gone, leaving us to decipher subtle clues that first appeared hundreds of thousands of years later. Source: Quantamagazine. One Lab’s Quest to Build Space-Time Out of Quantum Particles…
New substance classes for nanomaterials: Nano spheres and diamond slivers made of silicon and germanium | The latest generations of computer chips are only a few nanometres in size and are becoming ever more energy-saving and powerful as a result of progressive miniaturization. Since the etching processes traditionally used in chip production are increasingly reaching their limits, the development of new, nanostructured semiconductor materials is essential. Such nano semiconductors also play a central role in converting electricity into light and vice versa. Source: PHYS.ORG. New substance classes for nanomaterials: Nano spheres and diamond slivers made of silicon and germanium…
Groundbreaking technique yields important new details on silicon, subatomic particles and possible ‘fifth force’ | Using a groundbreaking new technique at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an international collaboration led by NIST researchers has revealed previously unrecognized properties of technologically crucial silicon crystals and uncovered new information about an important subatomic particle and a long-theorized fifth force of nature. Source: PHYS.ORG. Groundbreaking technique yields important new details on silicon, subatomic particles and possible ‘fifth force’…
NSF announces $25 million institute in Chicago for quantum biology research | As part of a nationwide initiative to boost research in quantum science, the National Science Foundation will establish a $25 million institute in Chicago to investigate quantum sensing for biology and train the quantum workforce. Headquartered at the University of Chicago and in partnership with Chicago State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Harvard University, the institute will be funded for five years. Source: uchicago news. NSF announces $25 million institute in Chicago for quantum biology research…
DARPA Announces Research Teams to Advance Fundamental Science of Atomic Vapors | The teams will develop innovative approaches to push the performance limits of atomic vapors at room temperature and exploit their unique advantages to demonstrate new capabilities for DoD. An additional performer has been selected and is expected to be on contract in the coming months. Source: DARPA. DARPA Announces Research Teams to Advance Fundamental Science of Atomic Vapors…
Tapping into magnets to clamp down on noise in quantum information | The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recently funded both DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (UIUC) in a new project related to quantum information science. The Argonne team will bring to the project its expertise in coupling superconducting and magnetic systems. The UIUC team will contribute its world-class capabilities for developing new magnetic materials for quantum systems. Source: Argonne National Labatory. Tapping into magnets to clamp down on noise in quantum information…
Researchers use gold film to enhance quantum sensing with qubits in a 2D material | Quantum sensing is being used to outpace modern sensing processes by applying quantum mechanics to design and engineering. These optimized processes will help beat the current limits in processes like studying magnetic materials or studying biological samples. In short, quantum is the next frontier in sensing technology. Source: PHYS.ORG. Researchers use gold film to enhance quantum sensing with qubits in a 2D material…
Quantum leap for biology | A new $25 million institute in Chicago will be tasked with using quantum technology to bring about paradigm-shifting breakthroughs in biology. Source: INNOVATORS. Quantum leap for biology…
Quantum entanglement of three spin qubits demonstrated in silicon, three-qubit entangled state has been realized in a fully controllable array of spin qubits in silicon | An all-RIKEN team has increased the number of silicon-based spin qubits that can be entangled from two to three, highlighting the potential of spin qubits for realizing multi-qubit quantum algorithms. Source: Riken. Quantum entanglement of three spin qubits demonstrated in silicon, three-qubit entangled state has been realized in a fully controllable array of spin qubits in silicon…
