Securing ourselves through quantum cryptography in a post-quantum world. Collaboration between imec and NUS aims to develop scalable, robust, and cost-effective quantum cryptographic systems secure against quantum-based threats.
Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) announce the signing of a research collaboration agreement to develop chip-based prototypes for secure quantum communication networks. In the frame of this five-year agreement, imec and NUS will jointly develop scalable, robust and efficient technologies for quantum key distribution and quantum random number generation, which are amongst the basic building blocks of a truly secure Quantum Internet.
Research in quantum information science has indicated that large-scale quantum computers (when realized) will render most of today’s encryption techniques insecure. Although one might argue that such a large-scale quantum computer is still some time away, the situation is nevertheless an urgent one. To that end, two broad directions have been pursued globally, namely a software-based approach called post-quantum cryptography and a hardware-based approach called quantum cryptography.
Post-quantum cryptography is essentially about updating existing cryptographic algorithms and standards so that current infrastructures would be ready for a post-quantum digital world. It however maintains a security profile that is still based on unproven assumptions. Quantum cryptography, on the other hand, offers a much stronger security guarantee: its security is solely based on the laws of quantum physics and thus is in principle unbreakable.
Source: “Imec and NUS to collaborate on chip-based quantum cryptography technology”, Hanne Degans, Imec
