From The Diplomat, June 9:
In a global security environment that is more dynamic than ever, quantum technology will emerge as a major frontier in cybersecurity
Throughout history, the weaponization of new technologies has disrupted the security architectures of empires and nations. For instance, the making of the atomic bomb brought unprecedented (even existential) risks to the threat matrix of many nations. While the bomb may be an extreme example, many security experts warn that some emerging technologies could do the same in this century. Consequently, the national security implications of many next-generation technologies are being discussed ad nauseam and are areas of growing strategic focus for governments across the world.
Quantum computing is a textbook example of such a technology. Both the United States and China see quantum information science as a critical technology for their national security, and strategic competition is now a de-facto framework used to analyze many developments in the area. This is hardly surprising, given the potential of quantum technologies (QT). Although at a nascent stage of development, quantum computers offer a dramatic increase in computing power compared to classical computers today. This is because instead of bits (that can hold values of 0 or 1), quantum computers use qubits that can hold a 0, a 1, or any proportion of 0 and 1 in a superposition of both states, counterintuitive as it may sound. As of 2019, this is no longer just a theoretical possibility: Google unveiled a Quantum Computer (with just 54 qubits), which was able to carry out an experimental calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world’s most powerful supercomputer around 10,000 years to compute.
It is important to emphasize that the use cases of quantum computers today are very narrow and at present offer no practical advantages over classical computers. However, many experts now believe that a paradigm-shifting breakthrough is no longer a question of if, but when. Governments and tech firms have already invested billions of dollars in quantum tech, and they argue that it offers broad and significant gains across sectors of the global economy. A recent report by McKinsey estimates that QT will have a global market value of a whopping $1 trillion by 2035.
Unfortunately, the catch is breathtaking. ...
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