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This editorial is based on When AI meets Quantum Computing which was published in The Hindu Business Line on 22/11/2023. It discusses the potential applications and challenges of combining artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, two of the most promising technologies of the 21st century.

Quantum Computing (QC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are two of the most transformative technologies in our era, pushing the boundaries of computation and cognition. Although they may seem to follow separate paths at first, QC redefines the limits of speed and parallelism while AI reshapes our understanding of intelligence and automation. However, when these paths intersect, the potential outcomes become extraordinary and formidable. The convergence of Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence amplifies the strengths of each, offering a symbiotic relationship that transcends the limitations of traditional computing.

The intersection of quantum computing and artificial intelligence represents more than just a technological advancement; it marks a profound leap forward. This convergence fundamentally alters the landscape of computation, scientific exploration, and ethical governance. The interdependence between these fields holds the promise to redefine our digital future, providing answers to challenges that were once considered insurmountable.

Drishti Mains Question:

Analyze the ethical considerations associated with the integration of quantum computing and AI. How can these concerns be mitigated?

Q. Which one of the following is the context in which the term "qubit" is mentioned?

(a) Cloud Services (b) Quantum Computing (c) Visible Light Communication Technologies (d) Wireless Communication Technologies

Ans: (b)

The rest is here:
Quantum Computing and AI in Symbiotic Harmony - Drishti IAS

As we approach the end of 2023, its important to reflect on significant steps that have been taken by businesses to reach net zero. While some of the sustainability hype has fallen off the agenda, at Digital Catapult, I often engage with business leaders across multiple sectors including manufacturing, engineering, transport, and the creative industries to understand their pain points and priorities.

From these discussions, one thing is clear; sustainability is still an incredibly high priority amongst IT and technology leaders, and this is not going to change. With 26 years to go on the journey to net zero, we have positioned ourselves well to meet this target, but there are challenges that lie ahead next year, and IT leaders must be prepared to overcome these obstacles with sustainable innovation.

This responsibility will in part lie with the advanced technology sector to demonstrate how sustainable innovation can benefit businesses of all sizes.

This past year, we have seen businesses paving the way in terms of tackling some of the IT sectors biggest sustainability woes, including e-waste. One example from this past year is the availability of remanufactured laptops from Dell, Lenovo, HP as well as the dramatic drop in the price of these units. These devices are now available at an affordable price, and play a significant role in reducing the amount of e-waste generated by the IT sector more broadly.

More efficient graphic processing units (GPUs) that launched this year offer their own huge sustainability advantages too. In August, Nvidia launched The RAPIDS Accelerator for Apache Spark, which is a game-changer that could cut both costs and carbon emissions by up to 80%.

Nvidia is a key partner of Digital Catapults, supporting startups on the MyWorld programme in Bristol, which looks to develop and support startups in the West of England by awarding each participating company with up to up to 50,000 in funding.

Seeing Nvidias commitment to sustainability this past year has been both exciting and affirming. Its so important that others follow Nvidias lead in 2024 and focus on both assessing the climate impact of their products and sharing this information with IT leaders, to empower them to make the most sustainable decisions possible.

This demonstrates the importance of testing new products that will appeal to technology leaders within businesses across the country, maintaining levels of interest in sustainable innovation.

I have also seen some great stories on IT symbiosis this year as well, where organisations and businesses have further identified how they can leverage sustainable innovation to appeal to technology leaders across the country. For example, there is a growing trend around datacentres being deployed next to swimming pools which allows excess heat from the servers to warm the water in the pool, while the water simultaneously cools the datacentre. This results in huge energy savings for both the business operating the datacentre and the organisation that manages the swimming pool.

This type of out-of-the-box thinking is not only saving huge amounts of money in terms of energy costs for both parties but is significantly improving the carbon footprint of the organisations too.

Whats interesting is that swimming pools are not the only facilities that can benefit from the excess heat generated by storing and processing data. There are also examples of datacentres being used to power homes and businesses across Europe, and this level of urban planning and innovation will result in not only significant carbon reductions, but brand new revenue streams for the IT sector.

We still face countless challenges regarding sustainability, with the next big challenge on the horizon likely to involve Quantum technology. We are already seeing huge demand for quantum technologies and Digital Catapults recently launched Quantum Technology Access Programme was hugely oversubscribed, with participants from the transport, infrastructure and energy sectors.

The oversubscription is testament to demand amongst leading UK businesses for quantum solutions that will sharpen their competitive edge. The dawn of quantum must however be welcomed by businesses with a simultaneous commitment to sustainable innovation too.

Quantum computing presents huge opportunities not just in things like processing power and cyber security but also in addressing a whole variety of solutions that traditional computing cannot comprehend today. This is why there is increasing demand for quantum solutions amongst IT leaders in the UK.

The challenge we need to solve is once again related to cooling. Quantum Computers require incredibly cold environments in order to work, close to absolute zero in fact. To keep systems in a quantum state, designers need to minimise the risk of anything disrupting the fragile position.

We need to find more sustainable ways to cool quantum computers to both take advantage of the positive power that quantum can offer, without causing a huge increase in energy requirements. This will require a wide range of experts, from quantum hardware experts, who work directly with the qubits, engineers who design the cryogenics systems that cool the hardware, as well as the control systems that program the qubits, and researchers who study thermodynamics, to come together to solve some of these challenges.

Once this team is in place, more IT leaders will have the toolkit they need to further embrace this level of sustainable innovation and emerging technology, to bolster growth and cut their carbon emissions.

While its great to see the impact of sustainable innovation over the past year, its important for IT leaders to respond to and prepare for challenges that may present themselves in 2024. Im excited to see more IT leaders embrace new solutions that will improve efficiencies while cutting carbon emissions.

Read more from the original source:
IT Sustainability Think Tank: IT leaders must prepare for green ... - ComputerWeekly.com

Private sector IT buyers will see a long-term boost to their budgets after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, announced that a policy allowing the cost of IT equipment to be written off against tax will be made permanent.

The so-called full expensing policy was first announced as a short-term incentive in the Budget in March, but Hunt said in his Autumn Statement it will now be made a permanent measure. It means money spent on IT equipment, plant or machinery can be deducted from taxable profits for any organisation that pays corporation tax.

The UK IT sector is likely to benefit from a number of other announcements revealed by Hunt today (22 November).

Changes to research and development (R&D) tax credits will see more companies eligible to make claims supporting innovation. Two existing schemes, the current R&D Expenditure Credit and SME schemes will be merged from April 2024 onwards, and the government estimates that around 5,000 extra small businesses will qualify for an enhanced rate of relief. The changes are expected to offer 280m additional relief per year by 2028-29 to help drive innovation in the UK.

In support of previously announced moves to encourage UK pension funds to invest more in tech startups, the government will commit 250m to two successful bidders in the Long-term Investment for Technology and Scienceinitiative. According to HM Treasury, This will create new investment vehicles tailored to the needs of pension funds, generating over a billion pounds of investment from pension funds and other sources into UK science and technology companies.

Two existing startup support schemes, the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts, will also be extended to 2035.

To support the governments ambitions in establishing the UK as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), Hunt announced a further 500m over the next two years to help establish two more compute innovation centres, bringing total investment to more than 1.5bn. These investments will allow researchers and SMEs to develop new foundation models and maximise the UKs potential in AI, enabling, for example, the discovery of new drugs, according to the Treasurys full Autumn Statement report.

In support of the National Quantum Strategy, announced in March, the government has identified five quantum missions intended to achieve a series of specific outcomes to encourage further UK developments in this emerging technology area.

These missions aim to establish UK-based quantum computers supporting one trillion operations, by 2035; the worlds most advanced quantum network, also by 2035; and by 2030 allowing every NHS Trust to benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions; quantum navigation systems to be deployed on aircraft; and mobile, networked quantum sensors that can unlock new situational awareness capabilities in the transport, telecoms, energy and defence sectors.

Creating the UKs own quantum computing infrastructure is key to our future on the world stage, said Rashik Parmar, chief executive of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Quantum computing needs to be embedded across businesses and driven forward by many more highly skilled computing graduates and apprentices.

To boost skills, Hunt also announced funding of 50m over the next two years to pilot ways to increase the number of apprentices in engineering and other key growth sectors. He also revealed three additional investment zones in addition to the 12 announced in March focused on advanced manufacturing in the West Midlands, East Midlands and Greater Manchester.

Together, local partners expect these will help catalyse over 3.4bn of private investment and 65,000 new jobs, said Hunt.

The government has accepted the recommendations of a review by its chief scientific adviser, professor Angela McLean, to encourage pro-innovation regulation so that industry regulators, such as communications watchdog Ofcom, can adapt to enable the safe and rapid introduction of beneficial emerging technologies more easily.

A consultation has been launched to evaluate methods for smarter regulation by Ofcom and other industry regulators such as Ofgem and Ofwat, aiming to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and encourage investment and innovation.

The government also published its Future of payments review report alongside the Autumn Statement, which looks to build on developments in open banking and the UKs leadership in the fintech sector to improve the use of digital payments. The report calls for a National Payments Vision and Strategy to create a world-leading payments environment.

A 960m Green Industries Growth Accelerator fund will look to support emerging technologies in clean energy and the transition to net-zero.

The best universities, the cleverest scientists and the smartest entrepreneurs have given us Europes most innovative economy, said Hunt in his speech to the House of Commons.

This Autumn Statement for growth will attract 20bn of additional business investment a year in the next decade, bring tens of thousands more people into work and support our fastest-growing industries.

Responding to the chancellor's statement, Julian David, CEO of trade body TechUK, said the package of measures relating to the tech sector was "bigger than many expected".

This statement has significant potential to boost investment from the tech sector. However, with low growth forecasts, there is no room for mistakes and no time to lose. The government needs to work at pace alongside the tech sector to put these policies into action and get growth going, said David.

Excerpt from:
Chancellor offers spending boost for IT buyers alongside AI and ... - ComputerWeekly.com

WISeKey's Subsidiary, SEALSQ, to Increase Investments in AI-Enhanced Semiconductors and IoT Innovations Over the Next Five Years

To date, WISeKey has invested over $17 million for the development of a cutting-edge SEALSQ IoT Cybersecurity Platform and a Post Quantum Chip to be enhanced by AI

These investments aim to integrate AI, foster the creation of sophisticated predictive IoT analysis systems, and improve operational efficiency and security of IoT devices

GENEVA November 28, 2023 WISeKey International Holding Ltd. (WISeKey) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, operating as a holding company, in conjunction with its subsidiary SEALSQ Corp (NASDAQ: LAES) (SEALSQ), today announced its intention to increase its investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Integration of AI with Cybersecurity and IoT will propel the creation of advanced predictive analysis systems and enhance the operational efficiency and security of IoT devices.

SEALSQs AI strategy would include further investments in new post-quantum chips, which are currently under development and expected to be commercialized in 2025. These chips are designed to improve AI performance in semiconductors, bringing unprecedented capabilities to the technology world. SEALSQs wide range of solutions, including secure elements, root of trust, cryptographic keys, and hardware security modules, underscore its commitment to spearheading technological advancements while fortifying semiconductors against potential vulnerabilities.

A Groundbreaking Synergy: Cybersecurity, AI and IoT

The fusion of IoT and AI, termed AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things), represents a leap forward in our technological capabilities. The high-integrity data generated by IoT devices, certified and protected through SEALSQs innovative NFT technology, will be analyzed by AI. This analysis provides deep insights into device behaviors, predicting and preempting issues before they occur in order to dramatically improve operational efficiency and digital security. SEALSQ is pioneering the integration of AI with NFT/Matter-based IoT certification, enhancing the intuitiveness and efficiency of IoT devices. This initiative is a part of the broader AIoT revolution, which is setting new benchmarks in smart technology.

SEALSQs strategy is designed to take advantage of the new opportunities arising from the rapid expansion of the global IoT market and demand for AI-enhanced technologies. According to the latest IoT Analytics State of IoTSpring 2023 report, the global IoT market is expected to grow from 14.3 billion active IoT endpoints in 2022, to 16.7 billion by the end of 2023, and exceed 29 billion in 2027, showcasing the ever-increasing importance of IoT in our digital landscape.

SEALSQS AIOT SYSTEMS: DUAL APPROACH

SEALSQs AIoT systems are designed to cater to various operational needs:

SEALSQs AIoT systems are designed to cater to various industries:

About SEALSQ

SEALSQ Corp (NASDAQ: LAES) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the WISeKey Group that focuses on developing and selling Semiconductors, PKI and Post-Quantum technology hardware and software products. Our Post-Quantum solutions include Post-Quantum microchips and devices that can be used in a variety of applications, from Multi-Factor Authentication devices, Home Automation, and IT Network Infrastructure, to Automotive, Industrial Automation and Control Systems.

Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) refers to cryptographic methods that are secure against an attack by a quantum computer. As quantum computers become more powerful, they may be able to break many of the cryptographic methods that are currently used to protect sensitive information, such as RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). PQC aims to develop new cryptographic methods that are secure against quantum attacks. For more information, visit http://www.sealsq.com

About WISeKey

WISeKey International Holding Ltd (WISeKey, SIX: WIHN; Nasdaq: WKEY) is a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and IoT solutions platform. It operates as a Swiss-based holding company through several operational subsidiaries, each dedicated to specific aspects of its technology portfolio. The subsidiaries include (i) SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, (ii) WISeKey SA which specializes in RoT and PKI solutions for secure authentication and identification in IoT, Blockchain, and AI, (iii) WISeSat AG which focuses on space technology for secure satellite communication, specifically for IoT applications, and (iv) WISe.ART Corp which focuses on trusted blockchain NFTs and operates the WISe.ART marketplace for secure NFT transactions.

Each subsidiary contributes to WISeKeys mission of securing the internet while focusing on their respective areas of research and expertise. Their technologies seamlessly integrate into the comprehensive WISeKey platform. WISeKey secures digital identity ecosystems for individuals and objects using Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. With over 1.6 billion microchips deployed across various IoT sectors, WISeKey plays a vital role in securing the Internet of Everything. The companys semiconductors generate valuable Big Data that, when analyzed with AI, enable predictive equipment failure prevention. Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey cryptographic Root of Trust, WISeKey provides secure authentication and identification for IoT, Blockchain, and AI applications. The WISeKey Root of Trust ensures the integrity of online transactions between objects and people. For more information on WISeKeys strategic direction and its subsidiary companies, please visit http://www.wisekey.com.

Press and investor contacts: WISeKey International Holding Ltd Carlos Moreira Chairman & CEO Tel: +41 22 594 3000 / info@wisekey.com

WISeKey Investor Relations (US) The Equity Group Inc. Lena Cati Tel: +1 212 836-9611 / lcati@equityny.com Katie Murphy Tel: +1 212 836-9612 / kmurphy@equityny.com

Disclaimer:

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA), the FInSas predecessor legislation or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.

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WISeKey's Subsidiary, SEALSQ, to Increase Investments in AI ... - GlobeNewswire

One of the most well-established and disruptive uses for a future quantum computer is the ability to crack encryption. A new algorithm could significantly lower the barrier to achieving this.

Despite all the hype around quantum computing, there are still significant question marks around what quantum computers will actually be useful for. There are hopes they could accelerate everything from optimization processes to machine learning, but how much easier and faster theyll be remains unclear in many cases.

One thing is pretty certain though: A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could render our leading cryptographic schemes worthless. While the mathematical puzzles underpinning them are virtually unsolvable by classical computers, they would be entirely tractable for a large enough quantum computer. Thats a problem because these schemes secure most of our information online.

The saving grace has been that todays quantum processors are a long way from the kind of scale required. But according to a report in Science, New York University computer scientist Oded Regev has discovered a new algorithm that could reduce the number of qubits required substantially.

The approach essentially reworks one of the most successful quantum algorithms to date. In 1994, Peter Shor at MIT devised a way to work out which prime numbers need to be multiplied together to give a particular numbera problem known as prime factoring.

For large numbers, this is an incredibly difficult problem that quickly becomes intractable on conventional computers, which is why it was used as the basis for the popular RSA encryption scheme. But by taking advantage of quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement, Shors algorithm can solve these problems even for incredibly large numbers.

That fact has led to no small amount of panic among security experts, not least because hackers and spies can hoover up encrypted data today and then simply wait for the development of sufficiently powerful quantum computers to crack it. And although post-quantum encryption standards have been developed, implementing them across the web could take many years.

It is likely to be quite a long wait though. Most implementations of RSA rely on at least 2048-bit keys, which is equivalent to a number 617 digits long. Fujitsu researchers recently calculated that it would take a completely fault-tolerant quantum computer with 10,000 qubits 104 days to crack a number that large.

However, Regevs new algorithm, described in a pre-print published on arXiv, could potentially reduce those requirements substantially. Regev has essentially reworked Shors algorithm such that its possible to find a numbers prime factors using far fewer logical steps. Carrying out operations in a quantum computer involves creating small circuits from a few qubits, known as gates, that perform simple logical operations.

In Shors original algorithm, the number of gates required to factor a number is the square of the number of bits used to represent it, which is denoted as n2. Regevs approach would only require n1.5 gates because it searches for prime factors by carrying out smaller multiplications of many numbers rather than very large multiplications of a single number. It also reduces the number of gates required by using a classical algorithm to further process the outputs.

In the paper, Regev estimates that for a 2048-bit number this could reduce the number of gates required by two to three orders of magnitude. If true, that could enable much smaller quantum computers to crack RSA encryption.

However, there are practical limitations. For a start, Regev notes that Shors algorithm benefits from a host of optimizations developed over the years that reduce the number of qubits required to run it. Its unclear yet whether these optimizations would work on the new approach.

Martin Eker, a quantum computing researcher with the Swedish government, also told Science that Regevs algorithm appears to need quantum memory to store intermediate values. Providing that memory will require extra qubits and eat into any computational advantage it has.

Nonetheless, the new research is a timely reminder that, when it comes to quantum computings threat to encryption, the goal posts are constantly moving, and shifting to post-quantum schemes cant happen fast enough.

Image Credit: Google

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Quantum Computers Could Crack Encryption Sooner Than Expected With New Algorithm - Singularity Hub