US Needs to Adopt Better-Safe-Than-Sorry Approach to Quantum Computing

(ScientificAmerican) Author Jeremy Hsu provides a review and balanced discussion of the issues addressed in the recent report on quantum computing recently issued by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. (Click here to read today’s IQT synopsis of report).
Hsu describes the potential of quantum computing but he also reports on the skepticism of the quantum-computing fever that has infected tech news headlines and press releases in recent years. A few skeptics even suggest building a practical quantum computer is impossible.
The conclusion of this article and the Academy’s report is that the U.S. could still benefit from a better-safe-than-sorry approach even if quantum computing progress proves slow, said Bob Blakley, global director of Information Security Innovation at CitiGroup and co-author of the report. He said it would not hurt to develop and implement new “quantum-safe” cryptographic algorithms.