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U.S. weighs National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act – TechTarget

While artificial intelligence and semiconductors capture global attention, some U.S. policymakers want to ensure Congress doesn't fail to invest and stay competitive in other emerging technologies, including quantum computing.

Quantum computing regularly lands on the U.S. critical and emerging technologies list, which pinpoints technologies that could affect U.S. national security. Quantum computing -- an area of computer science that uses quantum physics to solve problems too complex for traditional computers -- not only affects U.S. national security, but intersects with other prominent technologies and industries, including AI, healthcare and communications.

The U.S. first funded quantum computing research and development in 2018 through the $1.2 billion National Quantum Initiative Act. It's something policymakers now want to continue through the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act. Reps. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced the legislation in November 2023, and it has yet to pass the House despite having bipartisan support.

Continuing to invest in quantum computing R&D means staying competitive with other countries making similar investments to not only stay ahead of the latest advancements, but protect national security, said Isabel Al-Dhahir, principal analyst at GlobalData.

"Quantum computing's geopolitical weight and the risk a powerful quantum computer poses to current cybersecurity measures mean that not only the U.S., but also China, the EU, the U.K., India, Canada, Japan and Australia are investing heavily in the technology and are focused on building strong internal quantum ecosystems in the name of national security," she said.

Global competition in quantum computing will increase as the technology moves from theoretical to practical applications, Al-Dhahir said. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize areas such as drug development and cryptography.

Al-Dhahir said while China is investing $15 billion over the next five years in its quantum computing capabilities, the EU's Quantum Technologies Flagship program will provide $1.2 billion in funding over the next 10 years. To stay competitive, the U.S. needs to continue funding quantum computing R&D and studying practical applications for the technology.

"If reauthorization fails, it will damage the U.S.'s position in the global quantum race," she said.

Lofgren, who spoke during The Intersect: A Tech and Policy Summit earlier this month, said it's important to pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to "maintain our competitive edge." The legislation aims to move beyond scientific research and into practical applications of quantum computing, along with ensuring scientists have the necessary resources to accomplish those goals, she said.

Indeed, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said during the summit that the National Quantum Initiative Act needs to be reauthorized for the U.S. to move forward. Blackburn, along with Sen. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.), has also introduced the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act to advance commercialization of quantum computing.

The 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act served a "monumental" purpose in mandating agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NIST and the Department of Energy to study quantum computing and create a national strategy, said Joseph Keller, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Though the private sector has made significant investments in quantum computing, Keller said the U.S. would not be a leader in quantum computing research without federal support, especially with goals to eventually commercialize the technology at scale. He said that's why it's pivotal for the U.S. to pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, even amid other congressional priorities such as AI.

"I don't think you see any progress forward without the passage of that legislation," Keller said.

Despite investment from numerous big tech companies, including Microsoft, Intel, IBM and Google, significant technical hurdles remain for the broad commercialization of quantum computing, Al-Dhahir said.

She said the quantum computing market faces issues such as overcoming high error rates -- for example, suppressing error rates requires "substantially higher" qubit counts than what is being achieved today. A qubit, short for quantum bit, is considered a basic unit of information in quantum computing.

IBM released the first quantum computer with more than 1,000 qubits in 2023. However, Al-Dhahir said more is needed to avoid high error rates in quantum computing.

"The consensus is that hundreds of thousands to millions of qubits are required for practical large-scale quantum computers," she said.

Indeed, industry is still trying to identify the economic proposition of quantum computing, and the government has a role to play in that, Brookings' Keller said.

"It doesn't really have these real-world applications, things you can hold and touch," he said. "But there are breakthroughs happening in science and industry."

Lofgren said she recognizes that quantum computing has yet to reach the stage of practical, commercial applications, but she hopes that legislation such as the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act will help the U.S. advance quantum computing to that stage.

"Quantum computing is not quite there yet, although we are making tremendous strides," she said.

Makenzie Holland is a news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget Editorial, she was a general reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.

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Apple to launch PQ3 update for iMessage, bolstering encryption against quantum computing – ReadWrite

Apple has confirmed its plans to launch its newest iMessage security protocol, named PQ3, in response to what it claims is a future threat from quantum computers, according to a recent PCMag report.

iMessage currently uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring that messages between the sender and receiver are secure and inaccessible to anyone else, including Apple. However, Apple is concerned that the advancement of quantum computers may soon reach a level where they could decrypt iMessage content. Such powerful quantum computers would presumably also be capable of decrypting messages sent through other apps, such as WhatsApp.

Last year, the Technical University of Denmark stated that although quantum computers are already operational, they lack the power to break end-to-end encryption at present, indicating it may take years to achieve this capability due to their current size limitations.

On Wednesday, Apples Security Engineering and Architecture (SEAR) team wrote about the evolution of encryption on messaging platforms. They explained that traditionally, platforms have relied on classical public key cryptography methods like RSA, Elliptic Curve signatures, and Diffie-Hellman key exchange to secure end-to-end encrypted connections. These methods are grounded in complex mathematical problems that were once deemed too challenging for computers to solve, even with advancements predicted by Moores law.

The SEAR team highlighted, however, that the advent of quantum computing could shift this balance. They noted that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could solve these classical mathematical problems in fundamentally different ways, potentially fast enough to compromise the security of encrypted communications.

The team also raised concerns about future threats, stating that while current quantum computers cant decrypt data protected by these methods, adversaries might store encrypted data now with the intention of decrypting it later using more advanced quantum technology. This strategy, known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later, underscores the potential long-term vulnerabilities in current encryption techniques against the backdrop of quantum computings rapid development.

As a result, the tech giant has created PQ3, which it says has been built from the ground up to redesign iMessage from a security standpoint, adding a third level of protection to its end users.

PQ3 is expected to launch in March with iOS 17.4, as well as iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4 and watchOS 10.4.

The simultaneous rollout across multiple Apple operating systems underscores the companys commitment to addressing the future threat quantum computers pose to end-to-end encryption. Apple is taking proactive steps to ensure that iMessage users on iPhones, tablets, computers, and wearables receive protection as swiftly as possible.

Featured Image: Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash

James Jones is a highly experienced journalist, podcaster and digital publishing specialist, who has been creating content in a variety of forms for online publications in the sports and tech industry for over 10 years. He has worked at some of the leading online publishers in the country, most recently as the Content Lead for Snack Media's expansive of portfolio of websites, including Football Fancast.com, FootballLeagueWorld.co.uk and GiveMeSport.com. James has also appeared on several national and global media outlets, including BBC News, talkSPORT, LBC Radio, 5 Live Radio, TNT Sports, GB News and BBCs Match of the Day 2. James has a degree in Journalism and previously held the position of Editor-in-Chief at FootballFanCast.com. Now, he co-hosts the popular We Are West Ham Podcast, writes a weekly column for BBC Sport and covers the latest news in the industry for ReadWrite.com.

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Groundbreaking Discovery in Graphene Paves the Way for Robust Quantum Computing – Medriva

Physicists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a significant breakthrough in the field of quantum physics and computing. They have successfully observed the elusive fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect in five layers of graphene without the need for an external magnetic field. This discovery has the potential to revolutionize quantum computing by paving the way for more robust and fault-tolerant systems.

The fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect, also known as fractional charge, is a rare and complex phenomenon. It is observed when electrons pass through as fractions of their total charge. Traditionally, the occurrence of this effect requires high magnetic fields. However, the recent study by MIT physicists has challenged this conventional understanding.

According to the study, the stacked structure of graphene inherently provides the right conditions for the manifestation of the fractional charge effect. This groundbreaking discovery opens up new possibilities for quantum computing and further exploration of rare electronic states in multilayer graphene.

The MIT research team explored the electronic behavior in pentalayer graphene, a structure comprising five graphene sheets each stacked slightly off from the other. When placed in an ultracold refrigerator, the electrons in the structure slow down significantly. This allows the particles to sense each other and interact in ways they wouldnt when moving at higher temperatures.

This discovery challenges previous assumptions about graphenes properties and introduces new dimensions to our understanding of its crystalline structure. Moreover, the researchers believe that aligning the pentalayer structure with hexagonal boron nitride could enhance electron interactions, potentially yielding a moir superlattice.

The successful detection of fractional charge in graphene without the need for an external magnetic field is a significant milestone in the pursuit of more robust quantum computing systems. This no magnets discovery could significantly simplify the path to topological quantum computing, a promising branch of quantum computing that leverages the properties of quantum bits (qubits) to perform complex computations.

Moreover, the observation of both integer and fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects in a rhombohedral pentalayer graphene-hBN moir superlattice at zero magnetic field provides an ideal platform for exploring charge fractionalization and non-Abelian anyonic braiding at zero magnetic field. This could lead to the development of more advanced quantum computing systems that are more resistant to errors and environmental interference.

The discovery by MIT physicists provides a promising route to more robust and fault-tolerant quantum computing systems. It also gives a fresh impetus to the exploration of rare electronic states in multilayer graphene. As the understanding of these exotic phenomena deepens, it could unlock new quantum phenomena and propel the field of quantum computing to new heights.

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Quantum computer outperformed by new traditional computing type – Earth.com

Quantum computing has long been celebrated for its potential to surpass traditional computing in terms of speed and memory efficiency. This innovative technology promises to revolutionize our ability to predict physical phenomena that were once deemed impossible to forecast.

The essence of quantum computing lies in its use of quantum bits, or qubits, which, unlike the binary digits of classical computers, can represent values anywhere between 0 and 1.

This fundamental difference allows quantum computers to process and store information in a way that could vastly outpace their classical counterparts under certain conditions.

However, the journey of quantum computing is not without its challenges. Quantum systems are inherently delicate, often struggling with information loss, a hurdle classical systems do not face.

Additionally, converting quantum information into a classical format, a necessary step for practical applications, presents its own set of difficulties.

Contrary to initial expectations, classical computers have been shown to emulate quantum computing processes more efficiently than previously believed, thanks to innovative algorithmic strategies.

Recent research has demonstrated that with a clever approach, classical computing can not only match but exceed the performance of cutting-edge quantum machines.

The key to this breakthrough lies in an algorithm that selectively maintains quantum information, retaining just enough to accurately predict outcomes.

This work underscores the myriad of possibilities for enhancing computation, integrating both classical and quantum methodologies, explains Dries Sels, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at New York University and co-author of the study.

Sels emphasizes the difficulty of securing a quantum advantage given the susceptibility of quantum computers to errors.

Moreover, our work highlights how difficult it is to achieve quantum advantage with an error-prone quantum computer, Sels emphasized.

The research team, including collaborators from the Simons Foundation, explored optimizing classical computing by focusing on tensor networks.

These networks, which effectively represent qubit interactions, have traditionally been challenging to manage.

Recent advancements, however, have facilitated the optimization of these networks using techniques adapted from statistical inference, thereby enhancing computational efficiency.

The analogy of compressing an image into a JPEG format, as noted by Joseph Tindall of the Flatiron Institute and project lead, offers a clear comparison.

Just as image compression reduces file size with minimal quality loss, selecting various structures for the tensor network enables different forms of computational compression, optimizing the way information is stored and processed.

Tindalls team is optimistic about the future, developing versatile tools for handling diverse tensor networks.

Choosing different structures for the tensor network corresponds to choosing different forms of compression, like different formats for your image, says Tindall.

We are successfully developing tools for working with a wide range of different tensor networks. This work reflects that, and we are confident that we will soon be raising the bar for quantum computing even further.

In summary, this brilliant work highlights the complexity of achieving quantum superiority and showcases the untapped potential of classical computing.

By reimagining classical algorithms, scientists are challenging the boundaries of computing and opening new pathways for technological advancement, blending the strengths of both classical and quantum approaches in the quest for computational excellence.

As discussed above, quantum computing represents a revolutionary leap in computational capabilities, harnessing the peculiar principles of quantum mechanics to process information in fundamentally new ways.

Unlike traditional computers, which use bits as the smallest unit of data, quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits. These qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously, thanks to the quantum phenomena of superposition and entanglement.

At the heart of quantum computing lies the qubit. Unlike a classical bit, which can be either 0 or 1, a qubit can be in a state of 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 simultaneously.

This capability allows quantum computers to perform many calculations at once, providing the potential to solve certain types of problems much more efficiently than classical computers.

The power of quantum computing scales exponentially with the number of qubits, making the technology incredibly potent even with a relatively small number of qubits.

Quantum supremacy is a milestone in the field, referring to the point at which a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is practically impossible for a classical computer to execute within a reasonable timeframe.

Achieving quantum supremacy demonstrates the potential of quantum computers to tackle problems beyond the reach of classical computing, such as simulating quantum physical processes, optimizing large systems, and more.

The implications of quantum computing are vast and varied, touching upon numerous fields. In cryptography, quantum computers pose a threat to traditional encryption methods but also offer new quantum-resistant algorithms.

In drug discovery and material science, they can simulate molecular structures with high precision, accelerating the development of new medications and materials.

Furthermore, quantum computing holds the promise of optimizing complex systems, from logistics and supply chains to climate models, potentially leading to breakthroughs in how we address global challenges.

Despite the exciting potential, quantum computing faces significant technical hurdles, including error rates and qubit stability.

Researchers are actively exploring various approaches to quantum computing, such as superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and topological qubits, each with its own set of challenges and advantages.

As the field progresses, the collaboration between academia, industry, and governments continues to grow, driving innovation and overcoming obstacles.

The journey toward practical and widely accessible quantum computing is complex and uncertain, but the potential rewards make it one of the most thrilling areas of modern science and technology.

Quantum computing stands at the frontier of a new era in computing, promising to redefine what is computationally possible.

As researchers work to scale up quantum systems and solve the challenges ahead, the future of quantum computing shines with the possibility of solving some of humanitys most enduring problems.

The full study was published by PRX Quantum.

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Singapore warns banks to prepare for quantum computing cyber threat – Finextra

The Monetary Authority of Singapore has told the country's financial institutions to make sure they are prepared for the rising cybersecurity risks posed by quantum computing.

Experts predict that over the next decade cryptographically relevant quantum computers will start posing cybersecurity risks. These computers will break commonly-used asymmetric cryptography, while symmetric cryptography could require larger key sizes to remain secure.

A recent DTCC white paper warned that quantum computing could "create significant new risks for financial firms by making even the most highly protected computer systems vulnerable to hacking".

In an advisory to FS firms, MAS says this means the sector needs to attain 'cryptoagility' to be able to efficiently migrate away from the vulnerable cryptographic algorithms to post-quantum cryptography without significantly impacting their IT systems and infrastructure.

To help them prepare, the regulator says companies should be monitoring ongoing quantum computing developments; making sure management and third party vendors are up to speed on the subject; and working with vendors to assess IT supply chain risks.

Firms should be maintaining an inventory of cryptographic assets, and identifying critical assets to be prioritised for migration to quantum-resistant encryption, says the MAS.

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A Quantum Leap in Graphene: MIT Physicists Uncover New Pathways for Quantum Computing – Medriva

MIT physicists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize the field of quantum computing. The research team has observed the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect in a simpler material: five layers of graphene. This rare and exotic phenomenon, known as fractional charge, occurs when electrons pass through as fractions of their total charge, without the need for an external magnetic field. This discovery marks a significant leap for fundamental physics and could pave the way for the development of more robust, fault-tolerant quantum computers.

The fractional quantum Hall effect is a fascinating manifestation of quantum mechanics, highlighting the unusual behavior that arises when particles shift from acting as individual units to behaving collectively. This phenomenon typically emerges in special states where electrons are slowed down enough to interact. Until now, observing this effect required powerful magnetic manipulation. However, the MIT team has found that the stacked structure of graphene provides the right conditions for this fractional charge phenomenon to occur, eliminating the need for an external magnetic field.

Graphene, a material made of layers of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern, has long been studied for its unique properties. The recent discovery challenges prior assumptions about graphenes properties and introduces a new dimension to our understanding of its crystalline structures intricate dynamics. The researchers have found signs of this anomalous fractional charge in graphene, a material for which there had been no predictions for exhibiting such an effect. This finding could unlock new quantum phenomena and advance quantum computing technologies.

The observation of the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect could lead to the development of a more robust type of quantum computing that is more resilient against perturbations. Additionally, the research suggests that electrons might interact with each other even more strongly if the graphene structure were aligned with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). This potential for increased electron interaction might further enhance the fault-tolerance of quantum computing systems.

While this discovery marks a significant advancement in the field of quantum computing, the researchers are not resting on their laurels. They are exploring other rare electron modes in multilayer graphene, which could further our understanding of quantum mechanics and its potential applications in technology. The research, published in Nature, is supported in part by the Sloan Foundation and the National Science Foundation. With the continued support of these organizations, the research team is set to make more groundbreaking discoveries in the future.

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