Quantum News Briefs August 15: Biden’s curbs on China could blunt Singapore’s edge in quantum technology, How Uranium Ditelluride (UTe2) could shape quantum computing; Using quantum computing to protect AI from attack + MORE

Quantum News Briefs August 15:

Biden’s curbs on China could blunt Singapore’s edge in quantum technology

Singapore’s nascent quantum technology sector could suffer damage from the many restrictions that the Biden administration is putting in place to deny China the advantage in key technological areas, according to Marvie Basilan writing in the International Business Times August 14.
Some worry that the Biden administration’s recent ban on certain U.S. investments in China, specifically targeting semiconductors and microelectronics, AI, and quantum information tech, may come in Singapore’s way to glory. Singapore has remained a western ally despite the polarization the world has seen following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Dimitris Angelakis, founder of Angel Quantum Computing, a principal investigator at the National University of Singapore’s Center for Quantum Technologies and associate professor at Technical University Crete, told International Business Times that certain quantum startups in Singapore that received “some Chinese backing in the past” may get entangled in the sparring between China and United States and those acquiring quantum hardware for experimental purposes may meet challenges.
He said Washington’s restrictions won’t have a major effect on the Singaporean quantum technology scene as long as basic science cooperation and communication remain “free and uncontrolled.”
The curbs “underscore Singapore’s need to strengthen our local ecosystem, foster know-how, and develop quantum technologies internally,” Tommaso Demarie, co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based quantum optimization company Entropica Labs told IBT.
Singapore has an opportunity to serve as a quantum hub for not just Southeast Asia but also the greater Asian tech space including Japan, India and South Korea if it can skilfully navigate the geopolitical arena. It can become a strategic partner for countries “that will get caught in this technology race between superpowers,” Demarie said. Click here to read article in-entirety.

How Uranium Ditelluride (UTe₂) could shape quantum computing

Researchers at the Macroscopic Quantum Matter Group laboratory at University College Cork (UCC) have discovered a spatially modulating superconducting state in a new and unusual superconductor Uranium Ditelluride (UTe₂). This new superconductor may provide a solution to one of quantum computing’s greatest challenges.
When asked about the practical implications of this work Mr. Carroll explained;
“There are indications that UTe₂ is a special type of superconductor that could have huge consequences for quantum computing.Typical, classical, computers use bits to store and manipulate information. Quantum computers rely on quantum bits or qubits to do the same. The problem facing existing quantum computers is that each qubit must be in a superposition with two different energies – just as Schrödinger’s cat could be called both ‘dead’ and ‘alive’. This quantum state is very easily destroyed by collapsing into the lowest energy state – ‘dead’ – thereby cutting off any useful computation.
“This places huge limits on the application of quantum computers. However, since its discovery five years ago there has been a huge amount of research on UTe₂ with evidence pointing to it being a superconductor which may be used as a basis for topological quantum computing. In such materials there is no limit on the lifetime of the qubit during computation opening up many new ways for more stable and useful quantum computers. In fact, Microsoft have already invested billions of dollars into topological quantum computing so this is a well-established theoretical science already.” he said. Click here to read SciTech article in-entirety.

Using quantum computing to protect AI from attack

Machine learning-based frameworks remain highly susceptible to adversarial attacks – that is, malicious tampering with their data causing them to fail in surprising ways.
For example, image-classifying models (which analyse photos to identify and recognise a wide variety of criteria) can often be fooled by the addition of well-crafted alterations (known as perturbations) to their input images that are so small they are imperceptible to the human eye. And this can be exploited.
The continued vulnerability to attacks like these also raises serious questions about the safety of deploying machine learning neural networks in potentially life-threatening situations. This includes applications like self-driving cars, where the system could be confused into driving through an intersection by an innocuous piece of graffiti on a stop sign.
At a crucial time when the development and deployment of AI are rapidly evolving, a research team at the University of Melbourne is looking at ways to use quantum computing to protect AI from these vulnerabilities.
In their latest research, Dr Sarah Monazam Erfani and Max West suggest quantum machine learning models may be better defended against adversarial attacks generated by classical computers.
While this is encouraging, quantum machine learning continues to face significant challenges. Chief among them is the massive capability gap that separates classical and quantum computing hardware. Click here to read the article in Pursuit on University of Melbourne website.

SQE quantum-secure blockchain platform joins Berkshire Innovation Center

SQE, a quantum-secure decentralized blockchain platform, announced on August 7 that it has been accepted to the Berkshire Innovation Center’s Stage 2 Accelerator program. Quantum News Briefs summarizes the announcement.
As part of the program, SQE will have access to labs, advanced equipment, a digital media studio and internal specialists to assist as it moves forward with its development. SQE will also have a spot in the 2nd cohort of the BIC Manufacturing Academy, which was developed in partnership with MIT, General Dynamics, Mass Tech Collaborative and the US Department of Commerce.
“I’m energized by the timing of this for SQE and for BIC equally, as it comes at a time when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is really interested in exploring and understanding how quantum computing is going to impact organizations within its ecosystem,” said Dr. Dennis Rebelo, Chief Learning Officer at the Berkshire Innovation Center. “When I think about the local impact and the statewide impact, it’s clear the timing is right…SQE represents innovation by rapidly exploring and then conjuring new methodologies for problem-solving security risks in a hypercomplex world.”
SQE is a quantum-secure digital platform powered by a patent-pending Simulated Quantum Entanglement technology, which links SQE’s nodes together and allows our mining components to occur without transmitting keys over the internet. SQE’s entangled hardware generates a different key with every transmission. Encryption keys are never transmitted, making transactions on SQE unhackable.  Click here to read original announcement.