Australia prepares for quantum decryption as early as 2030 Supported By SQA

Australia is preparing for a potential crisis in data security from 2029-2030 onwards, with the emergence of quantum computers capable of breaking current encryption in mere minutes, a task that would take today’s supercomputers millions of years. PhD candidate Euan Mendoza from UTS is researching these threats, supported by a Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA) PhD Scholarship, and exploring how feasible these computations are. “For our secrets to remain safe on the internet, cryptography relies on mathematical problems we think are hard to compute,” Mendoza explains, as his work is part of a large collaborative effort for mathematicians, computer scientists and cryptographers to classify mathematical problems for both quantum and classical computers. SQA Scholarship Supports Quantum Data Security Research Euan Mendoza’s doctoral research builds on early undergraduate work, a strategy he credits with accelerating his development as a researcher. Mendoza, supported by a Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA) PhD Scholarship, focuses on classifying mathematical problems to assess their resistance to both conventional and quantum computing attacks. “I was quite lucky to start my undergraduate research quite early, and this made it a lot easier to learn the basics of presenting and writing mathematical proofs and papers before I started my full PhD,” he explains. This early start allowed him to refine not just technical skills, but also the ability to articulate complex arguments effectively. The urgency driving Mendoza’s work stems from the projected timeline for quantum decryption; Australia is specifically preparing strategic plans to brace for the post-quantum cryptography era from 2029-2030 onwards. Current encryption methods rely on mathematical problems that take millions of years for today’s supercomputers to solve, but quantum computers could theoretically break these codes in mere minutes. Mendoza’s research aims to understand how feasible these computations are, as part of a larger collaborative effort involving mathematicians, computer scientists, and cryptographers. He emphasizes the importance of determining which problems remain genuinely difficult for quantum algorithms. “Getting a better understanding of several techniques in both classical and quantum computing to solve certain problems, and how difficult they are to compute will be important to understand what quantum computers are capable of doing.” Beyond the technical challenges, Mendoza highlights the importance of effective communication. “I think being able to explain the research we do is almost as important as the research itself, so SQA has been really helpful in this regard.” He notes the cross-disciplinary nature of his PhD program at UTS, fostered by the SQA scholarship, provides diverse perspectives on problem-solving. “At the time, I found quantum mechanics to be vague; I didn’t really understand it… For me to really enjoy it, I had to learn the context and types of questions the researchers were asking – breaking the subject into smaller, more approachable questions.” Mendoza adds that SQA’s monthly student catch-ups allow you to get a sense of who your cohort is and what kind of opportunities and jobs exist outside of your field. It’s a good idea to see what topics you are interested in and then seeing if you can spend time with the researchers working on a project. Euan Mendoza’s Multifaceted Approach to Post-Quantum Cryptography Mendoza’s doctoral research integrates computer science, algebra, geometry, physics, and cryptography to address the looming threat to data security posed by quantum computers. His work focuses on understanding how computers differentiate between quantum states, a process he describes as determining the ‘speed limits’ of computing. This approach diverges from solely focusing on building quantum-resistant algorithms, instead examining the fundamental computational limits of both classical and quantum systems. Mendoza’s investigations aim to classify mathematical problems, assessing how readily they yield to solution by different computing architectures. This classification isn’t simply about identifying hard problems, but understanding how feasible it is to compute a problem on both quantum and classical computers. Mendoza notes that a definitive guarantee of computational hardness remains elusive, stating, “The problem however is that we don’t actually know if any mathematical problem is guaranteed to be hard to compute.” This nuanced perspective highlights the complexity of securing data in a post-quantum world. “These days, when I present and correctly articulate an argument, I’m amazed by how much I have developed. What seemed like very hard and foreign maths back then now feels more basic,” he said, reflecting on his growth as a researcher. He also credits the Sydney Quantum Academy with fostering valuable connections. My research is part of a large collaborative effort for mathematicians, computer scientists and cryptographers to classify certain mathematical problems. This is about understanding how feasible it is to compute a problem on both quantum and classical computers. UTS Quantum Research Network Fosters Interdisciplinary Collaboration He investigates whether mathematical problems considered secure will remain so against the processing power of future quantum computers, a concern escalating with strategic plans to brace for the post-quantum cryptography era from 2029-2030 onwards. The collaborative nature of this research extends beyond UTS, facilitated by the Sydney Quantum Academy’s network. This network proved valuable as Mendoza shared his research through SQA’s PhD Experience program, gaining new insights from peers. He recalls, “The first time I encountered quantum physics was in high school – first in Year 11 chemistry when we studied the atom, and later in Year 12 physics.” This initial spark evolved through undergraduate research, allowing him to build a strong base of knowledge. He describes the SQA community as an “empathetic and friendly bunch of researchers and students”. I think being able to explain the research we do is almost as important as the research itself, so SQA has been really helpful in this regard. Source: https://sydneyquantum.org/news/testing-the-speed-limits-of-quantum-computing/ More like thisQuantum Error CorrectionIBM maps a path from error reduction to full quantum correctionQuantum SecurityQ*Bird Becomes Falqon Systems, Building Quantum NetworksQuantum Computing Business NewsGdańsk conference hears Quantum B on post-quantum securityQuantum SecurityFalqon system gains €2.5 million for quantum network buildoutStay currentSee today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals. Tags: Ivy Delaney Ivy Delaney has been working with neural networks and machine learning since the mid-nineties, back when a couple of hidden layers and a long afternoon of training counted as ambitious. She has watched the field go from academic curiosity to the thing quietly running underneath everything, and she brings that long view to quantum computing.

For Quantum Zeitgeist she covers the ground where the two fields meet. That means quantum machine learning and the variational algorithms it leans on, and it also means the less glamorous but more interesting story of classical machine learning already doing real work inside quantum machines, decoding error-correcting codes, calibrating noisy hardware and learning the error models that simulators depend on. She writes about the hardware those algorithms have to run on too, and about the post-quantum cryptography scramble that the same hardware has set off. Her stories typically start with the paper, whether that is peer-reviewed work, conference proceedings or an arXiv preprint, with the source linked so you can hold a claim up against the research it came from. She is unimpressed by benchmarks that will not say what they beat, and by demonstrations that only work in the press release.