The full power of next-generation quantum computing could soon be harnessed by millions of individuals and companies at home and on site, thanks to a breakthrough by scientists at Oxford University Physics, guaranteeing security and privacy. This advance promises to unlock the transformative potential of cloud-based quantum computing and is detailed in a new study published in the influential US scientific journal Physical Review Letters.
Quantum computing refers to a multidisciplinary field comprising aspects of computer science, physics, and mathematics that utilises quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than on classical computers. The field of quantum computing includes both hardware research and application development. Meanwhile, quantum mechanics is the field of physics that explains how extremely small objects simultaneously have the characteristics of both particles and waves. This field is essential to quantum computing.
Today, quantum computing is developing rapidly, paving the way for new applications which could transform services in many areas such as healthcare and financial services. It works in a fundamentally different way to conventional computing and is potentially far more powerful. However, it currently requires controlled conditions to remain stable and there are concerns around data authenticity and the effectiveness of current security and encryption systems.
Several leading providers of cloud-based services, such as Google, Amazon, and IBM, already separately offer some elements of quantum computing. Safeguarding the privacy and security of customer data is a vital precursor to scaling up and expending its use, and for the development of new applications as the technology advances. The new study by researchers at Oxford University Physics addresses these challenges.
“We have shown for the first time that quantum computing in the cloud can be accessed in a scalable, practical way which will also give people complete security and privacy of data, plus the ability to verify its authenticity,” says Professor David Lucas, who co-heads the Oxford University Physics research team and is the lead scientist at the UK Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub, led from Oxford University Physics.
Blind quantum computing
In the new study, the researchers use an approach dubbed “blind quantum computing”, which connects two separate quantum computing entities – potentially an individual at home or in an office accessing a cloud server – in a completely secure way. Importantly, their new methods could be scaled up to large quantum computations.
“Using blind quantum computing, clients can access remote quantum computers to process confidential data with secret algorithms and even verify if the results are correct, without revealing any useful information. Realising this concept is a big step forward in both quantum computing and keeping our information safe online’’ says study lead Dr Peter Drmota, of Oxford University Physics.
The researchers created a system comprising a fibre network link between a quantum computing server and a simple device detecting photons, or particles of light, at an independent computer remotely accessing its cloud services. This allows so-called blind quantum computing over a network. Every computation incurs a correction which must be applied to all that follow and needs real-time information to comply with the algorithm. The researchers used a unique combination of quantum memory and photons to achieve this.
“Never in history have the issues surrounding privacy of data and code been more urgently debated than in the present era of cloud computing and artificial intelligence,” says Professor David Lucas. “As quantum computers become more capable, people will seek to use them with complete security and privacy over networks, and our new results mark a step change in capability in this respect,” he adds.
The results could ultimately lead to commercial development of devices to plug into laptops, to safeguard data when people are using quantum cloud computing services.
More on Quantum computing
Quantum computing as a distinct field emerged in the 1980s, when it was discovered that certain computational problems could be tackled more efficiently with quantum algorithms than with their classical counterparts.
Key Features
Quantum computing uses phenomena in quantum physics to create new ways of computing
Quantum computing involves qubits (the basic unit of information in quantum computing)
Unlike a normal computer bit, which can be either 0 or 1, a qubit can exist in a multidimensional state
The power of quantum computers grows exponentially with more qubits
Classical computers that add more bits can increase power only linearly
Key applications
Artificial intelligence
Military and police intelligence
Drug discovery
Aerospace design Big data search Digital manufacturing
Nuclear science
Machine learning
Space technology
Cybersecurity
Financial modeling
Traffic optimization
Weather forecast and climate change
Source: University of Oxford