UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and its industry partner PA Consulting have identified opportunities for a new approach to using quantum computing to support human decision-making. The solutions are rooted in a mix of classical and quantum computing techniques applied to defence-related challenges.
In an initiative funded through the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s( Defence and Security Accelerator, PA created prototype tools to help make better and faster decisions, while maintaining essential elements of human decision-making. Looking ahead, these tools are expected to evolve in a way that would allow significant improvements in many decision-making processes across the MOD, lowering risks, and optimising resources.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a multimillion-dollar contract with Duality Technologies, a firm specialising in homomorphic encryption designed to withstand quantum computing attacks. It does so through higher dimensions of security and more complex encryption keys compared to classical measures. In addition to being post-quantum, homomorphic encryption can be used to protect data when in use. This is critical because oftentimes, encryption is deployed to protect the material from a storage site to a user while in transit. By serving as an end-to-end encryption style, sensitive information is less vulnerable to attack.
IBM Australia has announced the signing of the next iteration of the Whole-of-Government Arrangement with Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency (DTA). Under this arrangement, IBM will support the Australian government in its move towards accelerated adoption of innovative technologies.
The new cooperation will focus on:
- protecting government data in the cloud;
- strengthening the government’s cybersecurity capabilities;
- exploring how quantum technology could help improve services for Australians;
- adopting and measuring more sustainable practices across government agencies;
- growing the digital skills capabilities of Australian public servants.
In the USA, the National Science and Technology Council published the third annual report for the National Quantum Initiative (NQI), as required by the NQI Act (enacted in December 2018 to accelerate American leadership in quantum information science (QIS) and technology).
The report notes that the USA has been making ‘substantial and sustained investments in QIS research and development to explore a wide range of applications and nurture a culture of discovery)’. Efforts are also being undertaken to develop a quantum workforce and ensure that Americans have the opportunity to benefit from participation in QIS.
Details are provided on the work carried out by different US agencies on QIS-related policy topics such as investing in fundamental science and engineering, investing in infrastructure, developing the workforce capacity, engaging with the industry, maintaining economic and national security, and encouraging international cooperation.
One key conclusion of the report is that ‘while the development of QIS technology is at an early stage, now is a critical time to develop the fundamental scientific knowledge, infrastructure, and workforce needed to create new applications for QIS-inspired technologies, grow the marketplace, and foster an ecosystem for basic, applied, and translational research in this field’.
In the UK, the University of Oxford’s Responsible Technology Institute (RTI), the Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub (QCS), and the multinational company Ernst & Young have announced a new research collaboration on responsible quantum computing. The Responsible Quantum Computing Communications (ResQCCom) project will be dedicated to facilitating interactions between the industry, policymakers, and the general public on the possible impacts of quantum computing on society and how to prepare for these. Another goal of the project is to connect international researchers focused on the societal impact of quantum computing in order to share best practices and exchange developments in their respective countries.
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) Brookhaven National Laboratory detailed a ‘never-seen-before’ type of quantum entanglement that could enable powerful new communications tools and computers. This discovery was made while exploring a novel means of probing the inner workings of atomic nuclei. The experiments used Brookhaven’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider to accelerate particles at nearly the speed of light. This is the first-ever experimental observation of entanglement between dissimilar particles.
Media reports indicate that Chinese engineers have developed the country’s first MLLAS-100 laser annealer, which will help solve instability and increase production quality when the number of quantum bits increases. The laser annealer is able to accurately remove defects in quantum chips and enhance chips’ performance when expanding to multiple bits.
Origin Quantum Computing Technology, based in Hefei, East China’s Anhui Province, developed the device. This can reach 100 nanometer ultra-high positioning accuracy to achieve the laser annealing in a single qubit. The device can be compared to a surgical device for accurately removing defects in quantum chips and enhance chips performance.
In the USA, the Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology began operations in early January 2023, within the US Department of State.
The office is expected to support the Department of State in its work on the policy and diplomatic dimensions of critical and emerging technologies. As such, it will ‘provide a center of expertise and energy to develop and coordinate critical and emerging technology foreign policy, and to engage foreign partners on emerging technologies’ such as biotechnology, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum information technologies.
The Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) is investing 115 million New Israeli Shekels (some US$340 million) in quantum computing research. The funding will reach a consortium consisting of five Israeli companies (IAI Group’s Elta Systems division, Quantum Art, Classiq, Qedma, and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems) and five academic groups (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Weizmann Institute of Science, Bar-Ilan University, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and Soroka Medical Center).
The three-year programme will pursue the development of two different quantum processors, one based on superconducting technology and the other based on trapped ions technology.
The Israel Innovation Authority is an independent publicly funded agency that provides practical tools and funding platforms to address the needs of local and international innovation ecosystems.
Japan’s Riken research institute aims to integrate quantum computing technology with its Fugaku supercomputer by 2025 and enable the real-world use of quantum computing. Riken reportedly intends to establish a communications link between a quantum computer and Fugaku, the world’s second-fastest supercomputer, to overcome the need for extremely cold environments for quantum computers. The concept is to have only core calculations on the quantum machine, while Fugaku would organise and reinforce the various outputs to approach the right solution.
The institute also intends to work with a group of companies including Toyota Motor, Hitachi, and Sony Group to promote the use of computing infrastructure that combines quantum technology with supercomputers.
