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Anton Frisk Kockum: The Impact of Quantum Computing Advancements May Be Felt Across Many Industries 

Quantum computing technology could offer enterprises a way to optimize their systems and handle challenges in ways that are beyond the reach of classic computing models.  

We speak to Anton Frisk Kockum, researcher and Scientific Coordinator of the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology (WACQT) at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden about the state of quantum computing research, the challenges and potential benefits of the technology, as well as how quantum computing is already changing the digital landscape.  

 

In 2019, WAQCT achieved the desired performance with a two-qubit processor. The core project goal, of course, is to create a one hundred qubit processor that can run one algorithm. How do you get there? And how far along is the project?

The performance of the two-qubit processor was good, and that allowed us to run a quantum algorithm for a simple instance of a logistics problem in the airline industry. But we always desire the performance to be better. As we scale up towards a hundred qubits, we not only need to maintain the good properties of the two-qubit device (for example, how few errors it experienced), we need to improve on them. It’s no use having many qubits if they aren’t of good quality. This is important to remember when seeing announcements about qubit numbers from any player in this field.  

We have a plan for gradually scaling up to a hundred qubits with really good quality. Along the way, there are a number of scaling hurdles. For example, when you have more than a handful qubits, you need to automate tune-up and calibration of them. When you have more than twenty or so qubits, you can no longer control them well individually on a 2D chip but need to implement a 3D structure to house the control wires needed to control each qubit. With even more qubits, you need more customized electronics to control them all and you need to avoid overheating the advanced fridge housing them at millikelvin temperatures. 

We are on track in our ten-year plan and are currently testing a first-generation 25-qubit device with 3D integration. We have recently shown that we can do such 3D integration with fewer qubits without degrading their quality.  

 

What are some of the biggest challenges in quantum technology research now? How do you propose to address them?

For quantum computing, I see two main challenges: scaling up the size of the quantum computers (while also improving qubit quality) and figuring out at what scale these computers can run quantum algorithms that provide useful results. I described some of the scaling hurdles above, but there are more of them as you go up beyond a thousand qubits, towards millions. For algorithms, it is still unclear how small and noisy quantum computers can be and still have an advantage over classical computers in solving some useful problems.   

We know that there are advantages to be had with millions of high-quality qubits, and we know that quantum computers already today can run some programs which classical computers cannot emulate efficiently, but these programs are not yet useful. Figuring out where the boundary of useful quantum computing lies is thus essential.  

In WACQT, we are addressing both these challenges. I explained above how we are working to scale up the number of qubits. We also are making efforts to improve the quality of the qubits.  

On the algorithmic side, we are working with several major Swedish companies as industry partners to see how quantum algorithms can be applied in their areas of business, and what capacity a quantum computer needs to reach to have an impact there.  

 

Of the different arms of quantum research at WACQT – computing and simulation, communication, and sensing – which are you most excited about? Why?

As a researcher who mostly works in the area of quantum computing and simulation, I may be biased, but I think this is the area with the largest potential. The most important applications in this area may be further in the future than some in quantum sensing or quantum communication, but they include the ability to simulate and understand large molecules, which could have a tremendous impact on chemistry and biology. This could open large advances in medicine, materials science, etc. I’m particularly excited about the prospects that such advances in the long term could help us enjoy healthier and longer lives.  

 
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Businesses are investing in quantum technology research with a focus on continuity. What do you think are potential useful real-world applications of quantum computing for organizations? Which industries stand to benefit the most?

These are difficult questions that many researchers, both in industry and in academia, are working to figure out answers to. The applications in chemistry that I described above seem more certain than many others but are quite long-term. Companies in sectors like finance, the automotive industry, and IT are investigating potential applications of quantum computing for machine learning and optimization problems. It is less clear whether there actually will be clear quantum advantages in these areas in the end, but if there are, the impact will be felt across many industries.  

 

Any technological advancement presents just as much risk as it does benefits. In the case of quantum computing, how can organizations build resilience against the risks that the technology poses?

I think the first step is to stay updated on the progress in the field of quantum computing. This helps identify risks in time to act and mitigate them. A next step could be to acquire in-house competence in the field, helping the organization become “quantum ready”, i.e., ready to make use of quantum computing for its purposes before competing organizations gain an advantage by doing so. 

 

What do you think are some emerging IT trends in 2022?

From my quantum computing perspective, I note that OpenSSH (a popular tool for remote login on computers), in its latest release a few weeks ago, changed its default encryption algorithm to one that is believed to be more resistant to quantum-computing attacks. Even though quantum computers that can break RSA encryption are still many years away, I think we will see a trend toward changing encryption methods in the near future. There is data that needs to remain secure for many years.  

*The answers have been edited for length and clarity.      

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Himadri Majumdar: How to Become a Global Industry Leader with Quantum Computing

Digital transformation is advancing at lightning speed. In a perfect world, we would test out every available emerging technology, but in real life, this is impossible due to the required time and budget constraints. Therefore, CIOs must identify and invest in the right IT technologies that will benefit their organizations the most. 

Quantum computing is at the forefront of IT technologies, presenting today’s CIOs with solutions for IT preparedness, cyber resilience and business continuity. We speak with Himadri Majumdar, Program Manager, Quantum at VTT on quantum computing and why it is essential that IT leaders pilot this technology as soon as possible.  

 

Investments in new technologies and digital tools are crucial for business continuity. Why should organizations invest in quantum computing?

It is imperative that companies try out quantum computing as soon as possible. The world is moving forward fast, making it important to see and adopt the benefits of quantum computing to stay ahead of the competition. 

Luckily, organizations actually do not need to invest in quantum computing to try out or gain the initial benefits it enables. As quantum computer procurement is a significant investment, it is wise to leverage other methods of access to quantum computers rather than building or buying one. There are multiple providers of access and services of quantum computers in the cloud. IBM is one of the biggest and earliest players. 

The smartest thing to do is to pilot the available services and evaluate whether quantum computing could be beneficial for your business according to the following guidelines:  

  • Only make decisions once you see a clear business benefit. The investment will depend on the magnitude of the benefit. The bigger the benefit, the better the investment should be. 
  • If you decide that the benefits are so great that you would like to buy or build a quantum computer, there are companies that provide customized, problem-specific quantum computers.  
  • If the benefits are good but not that big then continuing with quantum computers in the cloud might still be a good option. In that case, you also do not need to hire or build a large company quantum computing team. Companies can leverage the service provided by consultant companies who can deliver solutions customized to your business needs.  

Any model that works best for your company is ideal.  

 

Which industries will benefit from quantum computing the most? 

In simple words, decision-making in any business is based on the compromise of a huge number of, often conflicting, choices or parameters. Therefore, industries that have optimization-related aspects playing an important role in their business will need quantum computing. This can be related to process optimization, logistics optimization, and data optimization, among others. 

For example, if you are in the logistics business, in-time delivery might depend on parameters such as in-time delivery of goods from a partner, availability of fleet, choices of drivers, weather conditions, and real-time traffic towards the destination. When multiple parameters are considered, more accurate predictions can be made.  

However, computing various options with many parameters utilizing classical computers will take a long time – hours or even days. This often results in businesses making compromises by considering fewer parameters.

This can be illustrated by going back to the logistics example: businesses can compromise by choosing to ignore data on real-time traffic. The worst-case scenario of omitting real-time traffic is delays in delivery and poor customer experience.  

For more accurate predictions based on as many parameters as possible, we need computing that enables faster optimization. This is why quantum computers are critical. 

 

In 2020, VTT launched an ambitious three-phase project to acquire Finland’s first quantum computer. What are you most excited about leading this project? What progress has VTT made so far? 

I am excited for many reasons. Firstly, I am very excited that we are able to build almost the whole computer indigenously.  

Quantum technology is so strong in Finland that we do not need to rely on significant parts and components from elsewhere to build the machine. Companies like Bluefors and IQM are big domestic players with a strong global presence and acceptance. They have successfully capitalized on the deep low-temperature physics expertise and technology developed in Finland since the 1960s and are now leading the field. Therefore, we can be very proud that we in Finland invested in this technology so well and so early that we are now in the perfect position to reap the early benefits and lead quantum computing globally. 

Secondly, I am excited about the possibilities that Finnish companies will have. Companies that will be users of quantum computers will be able to find world-leading solutions close to home. They can become global leaders in their respective fields by leveraging quantum computing.  

There are so many other excellent reasons too. We are on track for the first phase of building the quantum computer in Espoo, Finland. We expect to demonstrate the 5-qubit quantum computer by end of 2021. We will then continue building phases 2 and 3 with 20 and 50 qubit computers respectively. We are also making excellent progress in the R&D front which will help us make quantum computers more integrated and cheaper in the future.  

At VTT we now have a dedicated quantum algorithm team comprising experts in quantum theory, mathematics, and AI. The team is ready to help companies see the benefits of quantum computing in their businesses. 

 

Organizations are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks than ever before with the rise of digitalization. What is your advice on building a resilient and scalable cybersecurity system? 

Indeed. Cybersecurity is one of the biggest threats for businesses in this decade. We already witness the risks in the U.S., where the vulnerability of even traditional businesses, like oil and gas, are exposed through ransomware attacks. So, we need to be prepared.  

Quantum computing and quantum communication add another dimension to cybersecurity. Quantum communication is an emerging topic that will be the mode of quantum-safe (tele)communication protocols based on things like quantum key distribution (QKD). It needs to be understood that quantum computers are amazing codebreakers. Once there are affordable and fully deployed quantum computers in the market, malicious players will take advantage of them to break the current cryptography protocols like RSA. We also must be prepared for that. Europe and more specifically, Finland, is also at the initial stages of making its communication infrastructure quantum-safe. Currently, available QKD solutions involve dedicated hardware in special-purpose networks, but in the long term we will need to improve safety protocols for communications more generally.  

Apart from the quantum communications hardware I mentioned above, we also have to be ready from a software perspective. We have to update or replace the classical software with new quantum-resistant algorithms, that will be unbreakable with quantum computers. This software is what we call post-quantum cryptography. Finland is already running a big national project on that topic. We are getting prepared with cryptographic and cybersecurity codes that will protect us from attacks made with quantum computers. 

This is a two-pronged approach where we use quantum communications to our advantage to strengthen cybersecurity and create solutions that keep organizations secure from attacks by malicious quantum computers. 

 

How do you expect quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography to affect IT trends in 2021 and 2022? 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. is leading the effort globally. The goal of post-quantum cryptography, also known as quantum-resistant cryptography, is to develop cryptographic systems that are secure against both quantum and classical computers and can interoperate with existing communications protocols and networks. Almost 70 potential candidates have been narrowed down to seven in 2020. In 2021, the winner(s) will be declared, and it will become the chosen platform for future post-quantum cryptography.  

Efforts in 2021 and 2022 will be dedicated to the identification and understanding of new standards and how they can be implemented. Following that, the implementation phase will begin. Time is of the essence as quantum computation, the potential threat that makes post-quantum cryptography relevant is making progress very fast. Preparedness for the future needs to start early enough for companies to have business continuity in the post-quantum era. 

 

Today’s CIO no is longer just a manager of the IT department. How has the IT leader’s role transformed since the pandemic? 

I agree. The CIO’s office is now both the first line of defence for a company’s IT department and solution provider for companies’ current and future ICT needs. During the pandemic, the CIO’s office went into overdrive to create IT solutions that could enable maintaining the companies’ business in remote settings of employees without compromising security.  

Finding solutions for remote work placed a lot of pressure on IT teams, that they had to, very unwillingly, make some security compromises over business continuity. The pandemic was an unforeseen, unfortunate event and not every business was prepared for it. 

The IT security vulnerability caused by this sudden change has left many companies susceptible to ransomware attacks. We will probably learn in the future the extent of this during the pandemic, but it is not hard to imagine the magnitude of it.  

Therefore, the CIO’s office should also look into future opportunities and threats like quantum computing and communications. This could be a strong aspect of their IT preparedness for the future. If the situation demands, they will not need to make any security compromises. In that respect post-quantum cryptography is one topic that CIOs of companies should start paying attention to. 

 

 *The answers have been edited for length and clarity.