Keep calm and invest early in quantum-safe networks
FIVE, 10 or 50 years – no one knows when exactly quantum computers could be a reality. But the preparation for a quantum future begins now, as the technology could pose significant threats to how we secure data.
Quantum computers are based on the principles of quantum mechanics, tapping the mystical ways in which subatomic particles behave. Calculations that would take modern-day supercomputers thousands of years could theoretically take a quantum computer just seconds, fuelling new breakthroughs in medicine, finance and other fields.
While a commercial quantum computer has yet to be built, tech giants such as IBM and Google have made leaps forward.
In 2019, Google claimed that its quantum processor took just three minutes and 20 seconds to complete a task that would have taken the world’s most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years. Computing power could reach heights the world has never seen before.
But the promise of a “quantum future” also carries a significant threat. With their superior capabilities, quantum computers could unravel public-key cryptography, which is used for secure messaging and transactions, and to keep confidential data safe.
A 2019 study suggested that 2048-bit RSA encryption – used by governments and financial institutions – could be breached by a quantum computer in as little as eight hours.
It is thus crucial to make sensitive data “quantum-safe”, or unhackable by quantum computers, well before these devices even enter the mainstream. This begins with early investments into frontier technologies such as quantum key distribution (QKD), through which transmissions can never be intercepted and decrypted.
Singapore has taken proactive steps in countering the quantum threat. On Jun 6, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat launched the National Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) programme, which will support network operators in deploying quantum-safe networks nationwide. It will start with at least two network operators.
The NQSN+ programme has already received proposals from Singtel, and from a joint partnership between SPTel and SpeQtral, a local startup specialising in QKD. Singapore also aims to integrate NQSN+ with the quantum-safe networks of other cities, to ensure international connectivity.
Singapore’s effort to build quantum-safe network infrastructure builds upon the country’s early investments in quantum technologies since 2007, when the field did not receive as much attention. It will be important for governments to keep investing in this nascent field, even as sentiment around tech investing turns cautious in the current climate.
Recent advances in generative AI demonstrate how tech advances can catch those who are unprepared by surprise. It is best to be prepared for both the good and bad that quantum computing can bring.
