From possible cybersecurity implications to the impressive science behind the quantum chip, here’s what experts think about Google’s latest quantum computing news.
Dr Mohammed Esgin
Department of Software Systems and Cyber Security, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University
The recent announcement of Willow, Google’s new quantum computing chip, is good news for science and the development of large-scale quantum computers that could have many benefits in the future. It is also another reminder of the quantum threat to cybersecurity mechanisms that is fast approaching.
It is well known in the research community that large-scale quantum computers can render current traditional encryption and cybersecurity mechanisms useless. These mechanisms are embedded in every part of our digitized world, from social media to securing critical infrastructure. The good news for now is that even Google’s Willow quantum computer isn’t powerful enough to threaten today’s traditional cybersecurity protections… Yet.
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized post-quantum encryption and digital signature algorithms, intended to replace traditional encryption standards in the coming years. The transition to quantum-resilient cybersecurity is a complex process that will take years. Efforts such as awareness campaigns and professional training, for example through events like our recent AusQRC 2024, are crucial to protecting our digital systems.
Monash University’s Post-Quantum Cryptography in the Indo-Pacific (PQCIP) program is an example of how we train IT professionals in various countries across the Indo-Pacific on how to identify vulnerable quantum systems and develop a transition plan to go quantum. resistant alternatives.
Our research into quantum-secure technologies is at the forefront of developing the foundations of cryptographic tools needed to secure our digital systems. However, the number of experts is limited in Australia and more investment in research into quantum-secure technologies is needed.
Karl Holmqvist
Founder and CEO of Lastwall
Google’s new processor, Willow, represents another step toward a quantum computing future. The ability to be “below threshold,” where scaling up and adding qubits reduces errors exponentially, is a notable advancement.
Over the past 24 months, we have seen significant breakthroughs and advancements in various architectural approaches aimed at creating scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computers.
It seems to me that we are much closer to a cryptographically relevant quantum computer than many people think, and the pace of development is accelerating. However, I understand the skeptics who think that we may not be as close as it seems or that we will never be able to build the capacity to break current asymmetric cryptosystems.
So my question to everyone is this: given that we will deploy quantum resilient solutions too soon or too late, which scenario carries the most risk?
Would you rather understand the implications of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) deployments, test them in your environments, and be ready to deploy them quickly when needed – at the risk of losing your secrets?
Bottom line: Now is the time to understand, test, and deploy PQC capabilities. That works. Move.
Scott Aaronson
Schlumberger Centennial Chair in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin
Yes, it’s great. Yes, it’s a real milestone for the field. To be clear: for anyone who has followed experimental quantum computing over the past five years (say, since Google’s initial quantum supremacy milestone in 2019), there is no particular shock here. Since 2019, Google has almost doubled the number of qubits on its chip and, above all, increased the coherence time of the qubits fivefold.
Meanwhile, the fidelity of their two-qubit gate is now ~99.7% (for Z-controlled gates) or 99.85% (for “iswap” gates), up from ~99.5% in 2019 They then made the most impressive demonstrations which predictably, with more and better qubits. And yet, while progress is broadly in line with what most of us expected, it is of course extremely gratifying to see that it actually all works! Congratulations to all members of the Google team for this well-deserved success.
Scientifically, the main result is that as they increase the size of their surface code, from 3×3 to 5×5 to 7×7, Google finds that their coded logical qubit stays alive longer than longer . It is therefore a very important threshold which has now been crossed.
As Dave Bacon told me, “vortices are forming now” – or, to change the metaphor, after 30 years we are finally tickling the tail of the dragon of quantum fault tolerance, the dragon that (once fully awakened) ) let logical qubits be preserved and used for fundamentally arbitrary durations, thereby enabling scalable quantum computation.
David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years and has worked for a range of print and online titles during his career. He enjoys learning about cybersecurity, especially when it allows him to talk about Lego.
