US President Joe Biden has signed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act into law. The law is designed to secure federal government systems and data against the threat of quantum-enabled data breaches. It sets out a number of obligations for federal agencies to prepare their migration to quantum-secure cryptography.
Quantum computing
EU grants €19 million to accelerate European quantum technology commercialisation
The European Union has granted €19 million to upgrade the existing European micro, nano, and quantum technology infrastructures and respond to a growing demand for pilot fabrication services by quantum technology companies. The new initiative, Qu-Pilot, includes 24 member organisations from 9 European countries, and it is led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Over the next three years and a half, it will work on the development of the quantum technology infrastructure, while offering companies a direct path to design, develop, and validate their hardware products and processes on a pilot scale.
The Qu-Pilot specific grant agreement (SGA) is part of a broader EU Framework Partnership agreement (FPA) aimed at setting the roadmap and framework for the development of European pilot production capabilities in quantum technologies.
China Mobile starts exploring quantum computing to overcome computational bottlenecks for 5G and 6G
China Mobile has joined forces with Origin Quantum, a Chinese startup, to focus on quantum computing and solving the computational bottlenecks facing 5G and 6G. Under the agreement, Origin Quantum will provide quantum communication algorithms based on real machine verification.
The goal is to explore the possibility of applying quantum computing to achieve network optimization, network autonomy, network security and a metaverse.
DARPA and the University of Rochester to work on Quantum Inspired Classical Computing programme
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the University of Rochester a $1.6 million contract to work on a quantum-inspired solver system within the Quantum-Inspired Classical Computing (QuICC) programme. The aim is to develop quantum-inspired solver systems to solve real problems for military missions.
Quantum-inspired solvers are hybrid: they are classical mixed signal systems that consist of analogue hardware and digital logic.
France, Germany, and the Netherlands sign statement to strengthen cooperation on quantum computing
The governments of France, Germany, and the Netherlands have signed a statement outlining plans to strengthen collaboration on quantum technology. Through the Joint Statement on Cooperation in Quantum Technologies, the three countries have committed to increasing synergies between their quantum technology ecosystems and working together to enable the development of European leaders and attract the best international talents in the field.
Through information exchanges and regular meetings, the parties intend to exchange views on developments in the field of research, education, policy, implementation, and use case development in quantum technologies. They will also explore possibilities for improving alignment across policy and funding priorities.
Russia to invest US$ 69.4 million in quantum communication network
The Russian government announced that it would allocate 4.5 billion rubles (US$ 69.4 million) to Russian Railways in 2023 and 2024 to develop its quantum communication network. This is part of an overall investment of 9.4 billion rubles (US$ 144.9 million) that the government is allocating to the development of the Russian Railway’s quantum communication network between 2021 and 2024.
Chinese company SpinQ introduces portable quantum computers
Chinese company SpinQ introduces portable quantum computers for education and training purposes. The aim is to democratise access to physical quantum computing solutions that can be deployed and redeployed. The products have a minimal qubit count of 3, which allows developers to run and program quantum circuits and simple algorithms. The portable computers have a quantum computing system capable of operating at room temperature.
US researchers publish roadmap for the development of quantum information technologies
Q-NEXT, a US Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center led by Argonne National Laboratory, published a new report which outlines the research and scientific discoveries needed to develop the technologies for distributing quantum information on a 10- to 15-year timescale. Titled ‘A Roadmap for Quantum Interconnects’, the report focuses on quantum interconnects – devices that link and distribute quantum information between systems and across distances to enable quantum computing, communications and sensing.
The roadmap tackles quantum interconnect use in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. For each of these three areas, the document identifies the science and technology imperatives needed to advance the research area over the next decade; lays out the components and systems they use; poses questions that need to be addressed by the community; and outlines the developments necessary to turn the technology to practical advantage.
Thirty-nine experts from 15 institutions across the national labs, academia and industry contributed to the report.
US senate passes Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Act
The US senate has passed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act to strengthen national security by preparing the federal government’s defences against quantum-computing-enabled data breaches.
The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act asks for:
- The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to prioritise the acquisition and migration of federal agencies’ information technology to post-quantum cryptography.
- OMB to create guidance for federal agencies to assess critical systems following the publication of post-quantum cryptography standards by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST);
- Direct OMB to send an annual report to Congress that includes a strategy on how to address post-quantum cryptography risks.
US president Biden appoints members of National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee
US president Biden has appointed the co-chairs and members of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC). It is a federal advisory committee convened after the National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Act was passed. The committee is tasked with providing an independent assessment of the NQI programme and making recommendations for the President, Congress, and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on quantum information science.
NQIAC includes members from industry, academia, and federal laboratories. It will hold its first meeting on 16 December 2022.