Most people involved in the world of computing are aware of Moore’s Law, posited by the eponymous Gordon Moore in the 1960’s, which states that computing power would double every 18 months. Look back at how he was proved correct since the introduction of the first microprocessor (Intel’s 4004 in 1971) and you find that the improvements have been staggering. If the same advances had been achieved with the motor car we’d all be doing 10,000 mpg. Truly mind-bending. But there is a problem: as Scotty from Star Trek would say, “You can’t change the laws of physics.” And as we have squeezed more and more onto our microprocessors we have reached a point where quantum physical effects pose very real engineering problems. Whilst the semiconductor industry struggles to find new materials and methods of squeezing that last bit onto the available real-estate, everyone recognises that the end of the road is in sight for “classical” computer improvements as we have known them over the past 30 years.
Most people involved in the world of computing are aware of Moore’s Law, posited by the eponymous Gordon Moore in the 1960’s, which states that computing power would double every 18 months. Look back at how he was proved correct since the introduction of the first microprocessor (Intel’s 4004 in 1971) and you find that the improvements have been staggering. If the same advances had been achieved with the motor car we’d all be doing 10,000 mpg. Truly mind-bending. But there is a problem: as Scotty from Star Trek would say, “You can’t change the laws of physics.” And as we have squeezed more and more onto our microprocessors we have reached a point where quantum physical effects pose very real engineering problems. Whilst the semiconductor industry struggles to find new materials and methods of squeezing that last bit onto the available real-estate, everyone recognises that the end of the road is in sight for “classical” computer improvements as we have known them over the past 30 years.
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Prof David Deutsch |
When people became aware of the potential power of quantum computers there was much excitement. Not least that algorithms were being developed for quantum computers which could potentially solve problems that no classical computer would ever manage. However, most have become rather jaded over the years as a practical quantum computer has failed to make an appearance. The engineering has not kept up with the science, and quantum computing has become something of a standing joke amongst journalists when new announcements are made.
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Inside The DWave Computer |
Within the last month we have seen announcements from Bristol University that they have successfully proven that optical based quantum computing can be integrated onto a silicon chip. We’ve seen others using exotic techniques to produce at room temperature quantum computing fundamentals that previously have required massive supercooling apparatus. What was once science fiction is leaving the laboratory bench and being turned into viable devices.
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4 Qubits Processor Used to Factor 15 |
This result is significant because much of our online
security relies upon the fact that for numbers 600-700 digits long, calculating
the prime numbers is infeasible in any meaningful timescale. Whilst 15 may not be
600 digits long, how long would you like to bet it will before the methods can
be scaled up, and Shor’s algorithm makes it trivial to eavesdrop on your public
key encrypted web traffic? As 2012 and
2013 see the emergence of real, practical computing based upon quantum
phenomena, a quick look back 30 years and you’ll see that the basis of our
current web security is unlikely to suffice for more than a few years.
However, all is not doom and gloom. Quantum phenomenon may actually hold the key
to providing security that even a quantum computer cannot break. The main reason that Diffie & Hellman
produced their ideas on public key cryptography, and RSA implemented so widely,
was because passing the secure key used in symmetric cryptography was so
difficult on the scales we must handle on the Internet. Quantum
Key Distribution (QKD) enables a trustworthy channel for shared keys to be
handled, and QKD is very much a working technology with commercial products
available, and even some cities setting up the infrastructure to enable it to
be widely used.
One way or another quantum information processing is going
to have a significant impact on the security landscape over the next few
years. I suspect our grandchildren will
find it commonplace just as we now find personal computers and the Internet an
everyday item.