But there’s still a lot more to see, with breakthroughs happening every day. The world’s smartest and brightest people constantly challenge the current limits of what we currently know, and most of the time, they’re successful.
One particular success story is the dawn of quantum computing.
It’s as foreign as aliens from outer space, but it’s here, and it’s going to change many things in the world.
In this blog, we’ll break down what quantum computing is, what industries it will affect, and how it can change the future society.
Quantum Computing—What Is It?
To understand what quantum computing is, let’s first take a look at traditional computing. Traditional computing, or computers, operate on information in the form of ones and zeroes—or what we call binary bits.
These traditional computers are often met with limitations when too many variables and potential outcomes are introduced to the picture. This is one of the main reasons why computer scientists sought a much more advanced way of solving things, like quantum computing.
Compared to traditional computing, quantum computing uses quantum bits—qubits—to pass on information; in qubits, one, zero, or both numbers can exist simultaneously.
This is possible because quantum computing uses the principles of quantum entanglement and superposition of matter.
Superposition means that a particular thing can exist both here and there at the same time. On the other hand, entanglement means that two quantum particles are extremely correlated to each other that even at great distances, they can still be linked in perfect unison.
Imagine a maze that both a traditional computer and a quantum computer have to conquer to give a much simpler picture.
A traditional computer can only cover one path at a time until it finds the way out. But a quantum computer can go through every single path, all at the same time, to get out of the maze.
Industries That Might Get Affected by Quantum Computing
Getting answers faster than providing the problem excites plenty of industries that have to deal with time-consuming problem-solving methods—like healthcare and logistics.
Imagine finding out why a person is sick in about 200 seconds or which route would be the most cost-effective and less time-consuming. All these possibilities are just some of the applications of quantum computing.
But it’s not all smiles and cheers for other industries.
The sheer speed of how quantum computers solve problems threatens how plenty of industries and governments operate. The majority of organizations and businesses worldwide see it as a threat, regardless of how useful or powerful it is.
The reason is quantum computers’ ability to crack RSA cryptography, the oldest cryptosystem used to secure data transmission. In other words, the existence of these brilliant supercomputers threatens the security of any organization’s system.
Cracking down security measures in a matter of seconds poses a threat not just for companies and organizations but also to the security of its stakeholders and customers—us.
How Industries Quantum-Proof Their Systems
When news broke out that progress has been made on quantum computing, many organizations allocated huge portions of their budget to make their systems quantum-proof.
It’s only a matter of time before the movement becomes scalable, which is why nobody’s second-guessing the potential of it falling into the wrong hands.
The collective action of organizations preparing for the worst gave rise to post-quantum cryptography or crypto algorithms that protect any system from potential quantum computer attacks.
Such costly security ventures intimidate companies that have yet to recover from losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, many warn that if they don’t want to lose more than they already have, they shouldn’t take too long to use safety nets.
It’s predicted that post-quantum cryptography will become necessary by 2022, indicating that the best time to start working on those additional security measures is now.
Organizations are quick on their feet, but there’s only so much that they can cover compared to quantum computing power.
A few helpful methods that can help companies further protect their systems include:
- Establishing a quantum crypto maturity model.
- Understanding the importance of crypto-agility.
- Ensuring that current cryptography measures are up-to-date with the industry’s.
Quantum computing has yet to cast its rays over the world fully, but everybody’s already making sure they have enough protection from its heat.
