1. Tell us about the first time you heard about quantum? The first time I heard about Quantum was in 1995, when I read a book by American Physicist and Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Man called the Quark and the Jaguar. It completely disrupted my paradigm of what reality is and anchored in a curiosity and passion for “quantum” that burns bright to this very day. (Please see this online review of the Quark and the Jaguar from Physics Today in 1994.)
2. What made you interested in this space? My desire to understand how everything in the universe operates at the most minute level, which informs the fabric of reality, inspired this interest.
3. What are you excited to see happening with quantum? Biology was my best subject in high school and it prompted me to study Pre-Med for a year before I became obsessed with Linguistics, so I would have to say advances in quantum biology and discoveries in the domain of quantum consciousness. I am excited to see how quantum computing, quantum sensors, and nanotechnology can cast a brighter light on the nature of consciousness and its connections to neurobiology.
4. What do you think everyone should know about this industry? Besides programming eye tracking experiments as an undergrad and graduating cum Laude in Psycholinguistics, much of my life was spent in the Arts before I moved into mentoring on High Performance and Innovation, so I strongly think anyone who is curious should explore quantum full out because quantum is for EVERYONE!
In addition, I feel with my background in Humanities (as opposed to traditional STEM education) that it is my role as a quantum adoption strategist to lower the barrier to learning about Quantum computing and quantum technologies by directing the curious to the experts I most admire and closely follow.
Post-quantum cryptography’s concept is to make use of encryption algorithms that are proven to be too complex to break for both classical and quantum computers.
Roadmaps offer an invaluable structure to the evolution of technology and technology deployment. Incorporating a complex technology such as quantum requires even greater diligence through roadmaps. In this article, we cover five types of roadmap: security, simulation, communication, standards and sensing.
Security Roadmap
With the maturity of quantum technology, and the approach of Y2Q, where can CxO’s look for information to build out their own #quantum security roadmaps? Below are some of the key players with updated links:
*CEOs should increase their engagement with post-quantum standards developing organizations.
* Organizations should inventory the most sensitive and critical datasets that must be secured for an extended amount of time.
* Organizations should conduct an inventory of all the systems using cryptographic technologies for any function to facilitate a smooth transition in the future.
* Cybersecurity officials within organizations should identify acquisition, cybersecurity, and data security standards that will require updating to reflect post-quantum requirements.
*Organizations should identify where and for what purpose public key cryptography is being used and mark those systems as quantum vulnerable.
*Prioritize one system over another for cryptographic transition based on the organization’s functions, goals, and needs.
* Using the inventory and prioritization information, organizations should develop a plan for systems transitions upon publication of the new post-quantum cryptographic standard.
Simulation Roadmaps
A 2022 quantum simulation roadmap paper in Nature led by researchers from University of Strathclyde, “explores near- and medium-term possibilities for quantum simulation on analog and digital platforms to help evaluate the potential of this area.”
Quantum simulation occurs where problems not tractable for classical computers, model the quantum properties of microscopic particles.
Quantum simulation promises to be an important part of organizational research efforts and roadmaps going forward.
Communications Roadmaps
The field of applied quantum physics closely related to quantum information processing and quantum teleportation, quantum communication is most often associated with protecting information channels against eavesdropping via quantum cryptography.
Establishing roadmaps is one activity participants in this field are aggressively addressing. In 2018, QuTech researchers introduced a roadmap for quantum internet development in six phases. The first phase included “simple networks of qubits that could already enable secure quantum communications” – today’s reality – ending with networks of fully quantum-connected quantum computers. Check out QuTech‘s website for the latest updates including QuTech, Eurofiber and Juniper Networks partnering to deploy a Quantum testbed in The Netherlands.
Mohsen Rasavi from the University of Leeds School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering issued a roadmap document in 2021 “to address this subject from the viewpoint of deploying quantum key distribution (QKD) systems across our communications networks.”
The roadmap to a quantum communications future is uncertain yet compelling in its possibilities.
Standards Roadmaps
Today’s quantum standards, compliance and regulatory environment is often referred to as the ‘Wild West’ of technology for its lack of documentation and enforcement. Not surprising given the maturity of the technology, and lack of convergence as of 2022. If you lead an organization – with old and new devices – you need to think about this environment for your organizational roadmap in at least the following ways:
Internal – developing internal (inside organization) standards is far from new, yet applying an immature technology set such as quantum can be daunting to those expecting certainty. By ring-fencing quantum (via pilots, siloed units, POC’s, low-risk applications), standard-bearers and compliance leaders can monitor the opportunities and implications of #quantumtechnologies. Jack Hidary and the SandboxAQ team discuss standards for organizations to consider in their July 2022 in Nature titled Transitioning Organizations to Post-Quantum Cryptography.
National – New requirements are being generated. The US government now requires each agency to address the quantum threat and protection measures for example. How soon before individual organizations take the same stance?
International – With so many #quantum modalities (photonics, superconducting, ion trap, etc) in the market today, what are the implications for #quantumhardware, software, services and their international standards? Organizations like IEEE, and European Information Technologies Certification Institute are addressing such global quantum standards evolution.
The field of quantum has a long runway ahead in terms of #standards so it remains important for organizations to monitor their internal efforts in generating quantum standards #roadmaps as national and international standards evolve.
Sensing Roadmaps
Visual imaging for vehicles, quantum clocks, gravity surveys, navigation, analyzing the human body or searching for lost treasure or oil & gas – #quantumsensing will be part of the toolkit in the future. For example, vehicles depend increasingly on being able to visualize their environment accurately. Quantum Computing, Inc. (QCI) recently competed in the BMW Group Sensor Challenge engaging their Entropy Quantum Computer. Here’s a video link for QC’s solution – I recommend watching all the way to the end. QCI’s quantum roadmap can be found here.
#Quantumsensing promises to be one of the leading uses of #quantumtechnologies given the diversity of applications and their roadmaps will be compelling guideposts we watch over time.
The 5-Part Quantum Roadmap Series is copyright (c) Aquitaine Innovation Advisors
In this series of papers under QSI’s Government and Consortium Relations pillar, we’ll explore the global landscape of these initiatives. This paper, second in the series, discusses the European QuIC, the European Quantum Industry Consortium.
In our quest to accelerate the market adoption of quantum technologies, the Quantum Strategy Institute (QSI) looks at both enablers and hurdles businesses face in making these complex, forward looking decisions.
For an industry that is on the verge of commercial expansion, this includes forming new industry consortiums, adding new working groups to existing consortiums, and forming an interactive industry relationship with the policy making governments.
In this series of papers under QSI’s Government and Consortium Relations pillar, we’ll explore the global landscape of these initiatives. This paper, first in the series, discusses the US-based Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C).
Quantum Technology moves so rapidly it’s often challenging to take the time to look back at what makes the most impact with quantum enthusiasts. I’ve selected the posts from 2022 that garnered over 5,000 views each on LinkedIn.
In 1935, Einstein wrote a paper with Boris Podolsky and Nathen Rosen trying to expose the weird behavior of quantum mechanics calling it “spooky action at a distance”. Among its many weird behaviors, the notion of quantum superposition really defies our imagination.
Even weirder, if one looks into a quantum system of say two electrons and they are in an entangled state, if you measure the property of one electron, say its rotation, you can tell what the other electron’s rotation is — without even bothering to measure it. Is it weird or astonishing? I think both.
The quantum industry is experiencing the successes and growing pains faced by so many other past technologies. Momentum however remains on quantum’s side in 2021, so consider the positives. According to a 2021 IDC survey, “The number of organizations [commercial end users or CEU’s] allocating more than 17% of their annual IT budgets for this technology [quantum] are expected to rise from 7% in 2021 to an estimated….
Quantum technologies are full of promise and potential. These technologies also bring their own challenges. Governments and businesses must start taking decisive action to manage the quantum changes as the second quantum revolution unfolds. Not doing so carries the risk of being left behind, and experience from other revolutions shows that this is not a favorable position to be in. Organizations without an AI mindset failed to execute on AI projects. Thus, organizations need a change management approach unique to quantum.
The emergence of quantum engineering requires exposure to many overlapping disciplines. Can a software engineer or a business professional transition to quantum engineering? Amrita Manzari fortunately discovered that the answer is “Yes”.
