Quantum Industry News – PostQuantum – Marin Ivezic

In a landmark experiment, Google Quantum AI researchers have demonstrated the first quantum memory operating below the error-correction threshold on a superconducting processor. Using two new “Willow” quantum chips of 72 and 105 qubits, the team ran surface code error-correction cycles that actually outperformed the best physical qubits, a long-sought milestone in quantum computing. For the larger distance-7 surface code ...

Russian scientists have unveiled the country’s first prototype quantum computer to achieve 50 qubits, marking a significant leap in its national quantum program​. Researchers at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and the Russian Quantum Center (RQC) developed the 50-qubit device using neutral rubidium atoms as quantum bits​. The prototype was successfully tested on December 19, 2024, just in time to ...

The updated FAQ locks in ML-KEM-1024 and ML-DSA-87 as the only approved public-key algorithms, excludes SLH-DSA entirely, and lays out enforcement timelines that start biting in 2025 ...

18 Dec 2024 - The Tianyan-504, China's most powerful quantum computer, was formally unveiled on December 5, 2024 and is slated for integration into China Telecom's Tianyan quantum computing cloud platform, where it will be accessible to users worldwide. The announcement, made through Xinhua and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, marks the next stage for the 504-qubit Xiaohong chip: from ...

Google has unveiled a new quantum processor named “Willow”, marking a major milestone in the race toward practical quantum computing. The 105-qubit Willow chip demonstrates two breakthroughs that have long eluded researchers: it dramatically reduces error rates as qubit count scales up, and it completed a computational task in minutes that would take a classical supercomputer longer than the age ...

IBM has announced a new 156-qubit quantum processor called Heron R2, marking a significant upgrade to its quantum computing hardware portfolio. The Heron R2 chip is the second-generation follow-up to IBM’s 133-qubit “Heron” processor introduced in late 2023. Building on its predecessor, the Heron R2 not only adds more qubits but also delivers major improvements in qubit coherence, gate fidelity, ...

In November 2024, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released NIST Internal Report 8547 (Initial Public Draft), titled “Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards.” This document serves as a strategic roadmap for phasing out today’s quantum-vulnerable cryptography (like RSA and ECC) and migrating to post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) standards. The draft lays out timelines, new standards, and guidance to ...

The Banque de France (BDF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have successfully completed a groundbreaking cross-border experiment in post-quantum cryptography (PQC), carried out between Paris and Singapore using ordinary internet infrastructure. This joint trial marks an important milestone in fortifying digital communications against future quantum-enabled cyber threats. By demonstrating quantum-resistant encryption and digital signatures on real-world email systems, ...

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a landmark report titled ”Post-Quantum Considerations for Operational Technology.” This publication marks the first dedicated federal guidance on how quantum computing threats specifically impact industrial control systems (ICS) and other operational technology (OT) environments. The report comes with a clear warning: OT systems could lag behind IT in achieving quantum-resistant security, ...

Gartner just published a clear, plain‑English call to action on post‑quantum cryptography (PQC). The headline message is blunt: “Quantum computing will render traditional cryptography unsafe by 2029.” As someone who spends a lot of time helping enterprises inventory their crypto, map risks, and plan migrations, I welcome this. Enterprises listen to Gartner; a concrete date tends to galvanize roadmaps, budgets, ...

A recent statement by the G7 Cyber Expert Group (CEG) - an advisory panel to G7 finance ministries and central banks - sounds a dual alarm and call to action on quantum computing. In a memo released in late September, the group highlights quantum computing as both a revolutionary opportunity and a looming cyber risk for the financial system. The ...

India has achieved a significant quantum computing milestone with its first successful test of a homegrown 6-qubit superconducting quantum processor. A team of scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) completed end-to-end testing of the 6-qubit device, marking a major step in India’s quantum research efforts​. This ...

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released a “Strategy for Migrating to Automated Post-Quantum Cryptography Discovery and Inventory Tools” on August 15, 2024. In essence, this strategy is a roadmap for federal civilian agencies to identify where they are using cryptography that will be vulnerable to quantum attacks, using automated tools to create an inventory of those ...

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has officially announced the release of its first set of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards, naming four quantum-resistant algorithms selected to protect data against future quantum-computer attacks. These four algorithms – CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+ – emerged as the winners of NIST’s multi-year global competition to develop encryption and digital signature ...

A new July 2024 report to Congress from the Office of Management and Budget - prepared with the Office of the National Cyber Director and in collaboration with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and National Institute of Standards and Technology - puts a rough, government-wide price tag of ~$7.1B (2024 dollars) on migrating prioritized federal civilian information systems to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) over 2025–2035.  The number matters less as a “precise budget” than ...

The paper’s main claim is striking: by using approximate residue arithmetic and other optimizations, one can factor an RSA-2048 number with around 1730 logical qubits – dramatically down from the ~4000–6000 logical qubits required by earlier methods. (See one of my recent posts "4,099 Qubits: The Myth and Reality of Breaking RSA-2048 with Quantum Computers" for more info on how ...

In a June 17, 2024 press release, Quantum Machines announced the opening of the Israeli Quantum Computing Center (IQCC) — a new facility in Tel Aviv designed to give researchers and startups something that’s been chronically scarce in quantum computing: hands-on access to serious infrastructure, not just limited cloud time on someone else’s machine.  The center is located at Tel ...

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will release post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms in the upcoming weeks, according to White House cyber advisor Anne Neuberger. This development marks a significant step towards protecting data against future quantum computing threats. Although initially planned to release four algorithms, NIST will finalize and publish three this summer. This move addresses the ...