Mediaboss Marketing

Santa Clara (CA), 6 December 2023 - Airbus and BMW Group launch a global Quantum Computing Challenge entitled The Quantum Mobility Quest to tackle the most pressing challenges in aviation and automotive that have remained insurmountable for classical computers.

This challenge is the first-of-its-kind, bringing together two global industry leaders to harness quantum technologies for real-world industrial applications, unlocking the potential to forge more efficient, sustainable and safer solutions for the future of transportation.

"This is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on quantum technology and its potential impact on our society. Partnering with an industry leader like BMW Group enables us to mature the technology as we need to bridge the gap between scientific exploration and its potential applications. Were seeking the best-in-class students, PhDs, academics, researchers, start-ups, companies, or professionals in the field, worldwide to join our challenge to create a massive paradigm shift in the way aircraft are built and flown." says Isabell Gradert, Vice President Central Research and Technology at Airbus.

Following the success of previous editions of Quantum Computing Challenges by BMW Group and Airbus, we are gearing up for a new wave of innovation, exploring the technology capabilities for sustainability and operational excellence. said Dr. Peter Lehnert, Vice-President, Research Technologies at BMW Group. The BMW Group is clearly aiming at positioning itself at the crossroads of quantum technology, the global ecosystem, and cutting-edge solutions. By doing so, we strongly believe in major advances when it comes to sustainable materials for batteries and fuel cells, to generate unique and efficient designs, or to enhance the overall user experience in the BMW Group Products.

Quantum computing has the potential to significantly enhance computational power and to enable the most complex operations that challenge even todays best computers. In particular, for data-driven industries like the transportation sector, this emerging technology could play a crucial role in simulating various industrial and operational processes, opening up opportunities to shape future mobility products and services.

Challenge candidates are invited to select one or more problem statements: improved aerodynamics design with quantum solvers, future automated mobility with quantum machine learning, more sustainable supply chain with quantum optimisation, and enhanced corrosion inhibition with quantum simulation. Additionally, candidates can put forward their own quantum technologies with the potential to develop native apps yet to be explored in the transportation sector.

The challenge is hosted by The Quantum Insider (TQI) and divided into two parts, a four-month phase where participants will develop a theoretical framework for one of the given statements, and a second phase during which selected finalists will implement and benchmark their solutions. Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides candidates with an opportunity to run their algorithms on their Amazon Braket quantum computing service.

A jury composed of world-leading quantum experts will team up with experts from Airbus, BMW Group, and AWS to evaluate submitted proposals and award one winning-team with a 30,000 prize in each of the five challenges, by the end of 2024.

Registration opens today, and submissions will be accepted from mid-January through April 30, 2024 here: http://www.thequantuminsider.com/quantum-challenge.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Press and Public Relations Janina LatzaSpokesperson BMW Group IT Tel.: +49 (0)151 601 12650 E-Mail: Janina.Latza@bmw.de

Christophe Koenig Leiter BMW Group IT, Digital and Driving Experience Communications, BMW Group Design, Innovations and Digital Car Communications Telefon: +49-89-382-56097 E-Mail: Christophe.Koenig@bmwgroup.com

Read more from the original source:
Airbus and BMW Group launch Quantum Computing Competition to tackle their most pressing mobility challenges. - BMW Press

In classical control theory, both open-loop and closed-loop control systems are commonly used. These systems are well understood and rather straightforward, controlling everything from washing machines to industrial equipment to the classical computing devices that make todays society work. When trying to transfer this knowledge to the world of quantum control theory, however, many issues arise. The most pertinent ones involve closed-loop quantum control and the clocking of quantum computations. With physical limitations on the accuracy and resolution of clocks, this would set hard limits on the accuracy and speed of quantum computing.

The entire argument is covered in two letters to Physical Review Letters, by Florian Meier et al. titled Fundamental Accuracy-Resolution Trade-Off for Timekeeping Devices (Arxiv preprint), and by Jake Xuereb et al. titled Impact of Imperfect Timekeeping on Quantum Control(Arxiv preprint). The simple version is that by simply increasing the clock rate, accuracy suffers, with dephasing and other issues becoming more frequent.

Solving the riddle of closed-loop quantum control theory is a hard one, as noted by Daoyi Dong and Ian R Peterson in 2011. In their paper titled Quantum control theory and applications: A survey, the most fundamental problem with such a closed-loop quantum control system lies with aspects such as the uncertainty principle, which limits the accuracy with which properties of the system can be known.

In this regard, an accurately clocked open-loop system could work better, except that here we run into other fundamental issues. Even though this shouldnt phase us, as with time solutions may be found to the timekeeping and other issues, its nonetheless part of the uncertainties that keep causing waves in quantum physics.

Top image: Impact of timekeeping error on quantum gate fidelity & independent clock dephasing (Xuereb et al., 2023)

Read the rest here:
Impact Of Imperfect Timekeeping On Quantum Control And Computing - Hackaday

Using a classical cryptographic algorithm alongside its quantum safe equivalent.

Once quantum computers, more specifically Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQCs), have become powerful and reliable enough, they will enable adversaries to break current asymmetric encryption, placing important data and assets at risk. New digital signatures and key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs) are needed, and while considerable progress has been made in recent years to develop new quantum-resistant algorithms, there is still ongoing discussions in the industry about the best way to implement them in the various security protocols that the industry requires.

The concept of hybrid cryptography is to use two or more fundamentally different algorithms that offer similar cryptographic functionality. In the context of Quantum Safe Cryptography more specifically, it refers to using a combination of classical cryptographic algorithms, for example, X25519 elliptic curve key exchange or ECDSA, in combination with Quantum Safe equivalents such as ML-KEM / FIPS 203 and ML-DSA / FIPS 204.

Hybrid cryptography comes in two flavors, which are sometimes referred to as AND hybrid and OR hybrid. The latter, as the name suggests, means that both algorithms are supported, and protocols can choose which of the two algorithms they prefer. This minimizes performance impact and is important to ensure mission continuity during the transition to Quantum Safe algorithms in heterogenous systems where not all components can transition at the same time.

On the other hand, it also means that communications protected only by classical ECC / RSA cryptography are vulnerable to CRQCs, and communications protected by Quantum Safe algorithms suffer from the much newer, less tested code base for these algorithms. On top of that, OR hybrid applications need to be designed specifically to prevent downgrade attacks. OR hybrid is more often simply subsumed within crypto agility discussions.

More often, when people talk about hybrid cryptography in the context of Quantum Safe algorithms, they refer to the AND hybrid model where both a classical and a Quantum Safe algorithm are combined to ensure security even if one of the algorithms or its implementation are broken. In the case of a key exchange, for example, this means that the session key will be derived in equal parts from a classical method such as X25119 and a Quantum Safe algorithm such as ML-KEM / FIPS 203. One example of this can be found in the provision of NIST SP800-56C Rev 2 that allows concatenation of two session secrets into a combined session secret from which the session key is derived. Also, there are various RFC proposals such as, for example, draft-tls-westerbaan-xyber768d00-0314 that are actively being worked on to support AND hybrid key exchanges for use in TLS. In terms of signatures, an AND hybrid scheme would only return valid if both classical and Quantum Safe signatures are successfully verified.

The Rambus Quantum Safe IP Portfolio allows for the implementation of hybrid cryptography. The Rambus QSE-IP-86 Quantum Safe Engine is a standalone cryptographic core that supports the NIST draft standards FIPS 203 ML-KEM and FIPS 204 ML-DSA and provides SHAKE-128 and SHAKE-256 acceleration. It can be combined with an accelerator for traditional asymmetric cryptography such as the Rambus PKE-IP-85 core that accelerates classic public key cryptography and a TRNG-IP-76 core that generates true random numbers. The Rambus RT-600 family of Root of Trust cores provides a robust integrated solution embedding engines and firmware that support both the full suite of CNSA 1.0 classic and CNSA 2.0 Quantum Safe algorithms (including NIST SP 800-208 XMSS/LMS hash-based verification) that can be used to implement AND hybrid solutions, offering system security management for use cases like secure boot, secure debug, secure firmware upgrade, lifecycle and SKU management, platform attestation and authentication.

Join me for my webinar Protecting Devices and Data in the Quantum Era on January 10, 2024 to learn about all the latest developments in Quantum Safe Cryptography and how you can protect your past, current, and future data in the quantum computing era.

Additional resources

Read the original:
Getting Ready For The Quantum Computing Era: Thoughts On Hybrid Cryptography - SemiEngineering

The primary challenge for practical quantum computing is error suppression, necessitating quantum error correction for extensive processing. However, implementing error-corrected logical qubits, where information is redundantly encoded across multiple physical qubits, presents significant challenges for achieving large-scale logical quantum computing.

A new study by Harvard scientists reports realizing a programmable quantum processor based on encoded logical qubits operating with up to 280 physical qubits. This is a critical milestone in the quest for stable, scalable quantum computing.

This new quantum processor can encode up to 48 logical qubits and execute hundreds of logical gate operations, a vast improvement over prior efforts. This system marks the initial showcase of running large-scale algorithms on an error-corrected quantum computer, signaling the arrival of early fault-tolerant quantum computation that operates reliably without interruption.

Denise Caldwell of the National Science Foundation said,This breakthrough is a tour de force of quantum engineering and design. The team has not only accelerated the development of quantum information processing by using neutral atoms but opened a new door to explorations of large-scale logical qubit devices, which could enable transformative benefits for science and society as a whole.

A quantum bit or qubit is one unit of information in quantum computing. In the world of quantum computing, in principle, it is possible to create physical qubits by manipulating quantum particles be they atoms, ions, or photons.

Harnessing the peculiarities of quantum mechanics for computation is more intricate than merely accumulating a sufficient number of qubits. Qubits are inherently unstable and susceptible to collapsing out of their quantum states.

The accurate measure of success lies in logical qubits, known as the coins of the realm. These are bundles of redundant, error-corrected physical qubits capable of storing information for quantum algorithms. Creating controllable logical qubits, akin to classical bits poses a significant challenge for the field. It is widely acknowledged that until quantum computers can operate reliably on logical qubits, the technology cannot truly advance.

Current computing systems have demonstrated only one or two logical qubits and a single quantum gate operationa unit of codebetween them.

The breakthrough by the Harvard team is built upon years of research on a quantum computing architecture called a neutral atom array, pioneered in Lukins lab. QuEra, a company commercializing this technology, recently entered into a licensing agreement with Harvards Office of Technology Development for a patent portfolio based on Lukins groups innovations.

A block of ultra-cold, suspended rubidium atoms is at the heart of the system. These atoms, serving as the systems physical qubits, can move around and form pairs or become entangled during computations.

Entangled pairs of atoms come together to form gates, representing units of computing power. The team had previously showcased low error rates in their entangling operations, establishing the reliability of their neutral atom array system.

In their logical quantum processor, the scientists have now demonstrated parallel, multiplexed control over an entire section of logical qubits using lasers. This approach is more efficient and scalable compared to individually controlling physical qubits.

Paper first author Dolev Bluvstein, a Griffin School of Arts and Sciences Ph.D. student in Lukins lab, said,We are trying to mark a transition in the field, toward starting to test algorithms with error-corrected qubits instead of physical ones, and enabling a path toward larger devices.

Journal Reference:

Continue reading here:
Scientists created the first programmable, logical quantum processor - Tech Explorist

You can't miss out on these quantum computing picks

Quantum computing stocks should be on your radar. The vast potential of quantum technologies means well likely witness dramatic progress in AI, IoT, and clean energy technologies. These computers will give us the needed horsepower, but the tech is presently under a competitive research and development environment.

Regardless of the speculative nature of quantum computing stocks, we can already observe leaders. These companies are heading the pack in pioneering this new standard for the computing industry.

So, to know the three quantum computing stocks leading us forward, lets explore your best options.

Source: shutterstock.com/LCV

IBM (NYSE:IBM) warrants attention foremost.

Most recently, the company installed a 127-qubit quantum processor in its IBM Quantum System One machine at the University of Tokyo, Japan.

This significant development is not only one of the first quantum computers in East Asia, but also it challenges other regions for market dominance. Typically led by Europe and North America, this sets the stage for Asia to emerge as a pivotal player. And this may have critical competitive considerations for companies like IBM.

IBMs processor is expected to conduct high-level research in various fields ranging from finance to medicine to modeling complex biological processes.

Besides this recent development that should give quantum bulls a reason to smile, IBM is also undervalued on several key metrics. It effectively balances strong cash generation with a dividend yield of 4.14% and a price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 0.43.

Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com

Alphabets (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) position in the quantum computing market is also formidable. The company made significant headway in February by reporting that it reduced computational errors in its quantum bits. Reducing these errors is crucial to making quantum computers usable and a key barrier to commercialization.

Complementing Alphabets goal of commercializing its quantum system this year is its impressive financials. Like IBM, its PEG ratio is 1.26, indicating expected growth at a reasonable price. Furthermore, it has retained robust top and bottom lines with a revenue of $297.13 billion and a net income of $66.73 billion.

Also, Wall Streets stance on Alphabet remains bullish. It carries a strong buy recommendation. Further, analysts predict an average 12-month price increase of 7.32%, with a high target of $180.

Source: Ascannio / Shutterstock.com

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is building an ecosystem to support its quantum computing services with its Q# development suite. Also, it onboards developers early to test its code and tools.

Therefore, the development of MSFTs community is one of the key reasons to be bullish on MSFT. Q# is striving to become the de facto standard. In fact, its similar to the way certain programming languages once fought for dominance amongst the development community. Today, we are left with a handful of the most popular.

Further, MSFT is taking a calculated gamble on its development of quantum technology. Its investing heavily in research and developing novel ways to improve error correction and fault tolerance. This approach is riskier, but if it pays off. It could give MSFT one of the most stable quantum computing systems on the market upon release, if not the most stable, thus giving it a significant advantage over its peers.

On the date of publication, Matthew Farley did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed are those of the writer, subject to theInvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Matthew started writing coverage of the financial markets during the crypto boom of 2017 and was also a team member of several fintech startups. He then started writing about Australian and U.S. equities for various publications. His work has appeared in MarketBeat, FXStreet, Cryptoslate, Seeking Alpha, and the New Scientist magazine, among others.

Read the original:
Frontiers in Quantum Computing: 3 Stocks Leading the Way - InvestorPlace