Quantum Computing is coming... catch all thread

[Pyperkub]

Been thinking about this for awhile and when I saw the news below, I figured it may be time to start a Quantum Computing Catch-All thread.

First up - given that just about our entire financial infrastructure is dependent on Encryption, and quantum computers will most likely be able to break current encryption standards in a *really* short amount of time (are we talking Sneakers movie hacking? Maybe...) NIST is updating encryption algorithms for Quantum Computing. Not sure how soon this will apply to a lot of things, but it's something to keep an eye on:

Today, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the first four quantum-resistant algorithms that will become part of the agency’s post-quantum cryptographic standard.

NIST has been running a competition for the last six years to identify quantum-safe algorithms. Now, the agency has chosen CRYSTALS-Kyber for general encryption due to its speed and small encryption keys, and CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+ for digital signatures.

“Today’s announcement is an important milestone in securing our sensitive data against the possibility of future cyberattacks from quantum computers,”

As with all encryption, we'll need to continue ensuring that Governments (plural) don't insert backdoors (as the idiots at DHS/etc with stupid Senators keep attempting to do), as that only means that bad actors will eventually have access to those backdoors (see what happened when RSA released an NSA-delivered and compromised Algorithm back in the day and everyone had to essentially abandon it).

Also, please feel free to post links to various quantum computing items here, and possibly consumer/gaming applications!

[hitbyambulance]

"Quantum computer programming for dummies"

if you want to see the actual document, which merely explains the implementation of 20 different quantum computing algorithms: https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3517340

[hepcat]

We're going to have to return to an analog world. It's really the only way to deal with this.

Also, I'm beginning to think Dune by Frank Herbert was more prescient than we thought. We're going to need to get rid of thinking machines at some point.

[malchior]

I did some 'think tank' work for a major financial institution a few years back. They were very worried about quantum decryption. At the time, we recommended watching this algorithm competition.

Despite some advancements such as Perfect Forward Secrecy (which isn't perfect!) some governments are theoretically hoovering up encrypted comms to someday decrypt them with quantum computers. The upshot is that if there is a secret you don't want *ever known* you should not transmit them on the Internet. If it is time bound - for example, they you need them to be secret for a year or some relatively short time frame - you're in pretty good shape.

[Pyperkub]

Hmm. Hadn't heard the term "Quantum Advantage" before:

So what, exactly, does Xanadu's claim of quantum advantage mean? Caltech physicist John Preskill coined the concept in 2011 as "quantum supremacy," which he has described as "the point where quantum computers can do things that classical computers can't, regardless of whether those tasks are useful." (Since then, many researchers in the field switched to calling it "quantum advantage," to avoid echoes of "white supremacy." Xanadu's paper actually calls it "quantum computational advantage" because they think "quantum advantage" implies that the computer performed a useful task—which it didn't.)

Preskill's words suggested that achieving quantum advantage would be a turning point, marking the beginning of a new technological era in which physicists would begin devising useful tasks for quantum computers. Indeed, people anticipated the milestone so hotly that the first claim of a quantum computer outperforming a classical computer—by Google researchers in 2019—was leaked.

But as more researchers claim quantum advantage for their machines, the meaning of the achievement has become murkier. For one thing, quantum advantage doesn't mark the end of a race between quantum and classical computers. It's the beginning.

[coopasonic]

Just to temper some of the excitement about revolutionary changes in computing, I'll point out that every single major financial institution in the world is still dependent on mainframes.

[malchior]

Just to temper some of the excitement about revolutionary changes in computing, I'll point out that every single major financial institution in the world is still dependent on mainframes.

Sure but the "same" mainframe now often has much more functionality than 15 years ago. I expect IBM et. al. will eventually come up with a quantum sub-processor that' integrates into an existing frame to expand capability. IMO the main feature (and often problem) with mainframes are that they are the ultimate data destination for the enterprises that rely on them and this will end up being just another tool in the tool kit to leverage that data.

[Pyperkub]

Just to temper some of the excitement about revolutionary changes in computing, I'll point out that every single major financial institution in the world is still dependent on mainframes.

Sure but the "same" mainframe now often has much more functionality than 15 years ago. I expect IBM et. al. will eventually come up with a quantum sub-processor that' integrates into an existing frame to expand capability. IMO the main feature (and often problem) with mainframes are that they are the ultimate data destination for the enterprises that rely on them and this will end up being just another tool in the tool kit to leverage that data.

One big caveat is encryption and defense in depth capabilities tho.