Roadmap Timeline
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2029
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2022
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2024
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2025
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2026
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2027
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2029
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2030
Quantum Information Technology
2024-2030
Problem description
Quantum theory is entering the area of information technology. Quantum communication is emerging as a technology and it is likely that building a universal quantum computer will become feasible in the next decades. This raises several questions in terms of cybersecurity: how can quantum communication help to improve cybersecurity and, conversely what are the security threats bring by this new way of computing? Similarly, how much does it cost to migrate to quantum resistant technologies?
Research aspect: Quantum information technology brings several aspects to be dealt with. We outline the following three which could be seen as the most pressing today: 1) Quantum communication and secure key distribution; 2) Post-quantum cryptography; 3) Security of computing platforms mixing classical and quantum computation. We must underline that integration of quantum technology to existing information systems could be seen as quite a novel approach, and thus, may result in a number of new research aspects ones the integration will become stronger.
Industrial demand:
Social aspect: Quantum information technology is both opportunity for stronger security and dangerous threat for it. It especially targets the existing cryptographic systems which ensure confidentiality of private data, as well as integrity of most transactions. Access of the society to the digital services will be severely impacted, significantly reducing the public trust in digital economy.
Industrial demand:
- Industry needs a secure way for communication and protection of its sensitive data
- Quantum computers once implemented will threaten the existing cryptographic schemas. The industry needs new cryptographic schemas strong enough to withstands quantum adversary. In addition, those technologies need to be embedded in legacy systems.
- Quantum technology is appealing for implementation, but must be carefully incorporated in the existing classical networks, to ensure that all risks are well understood and properly treated.
Social aspect: Quantum information technology is both opportunity for stronger security and dangerous threat for it. It especially targets the existing cryptographic systems which ensure confidentiality of private data, as well as integrity of most transactions. Access of the society to the digital services will be severely impacted, significantly reducing the public trust in digital economy.
Final goal: The final goal is to create a theoretical basis and a set of practical solutions for secure incorporation of quantum technologies as well as ensuring that existing systems are secure enough to withstand quantum adversaries.
Benefits for EU: It is difficult to overestimate possible benefits for EU from possessing quantum information technologies. Industry and society will be severely impacted if this technology is not timely and correctly implemented. Loosing quantum race may put a country in a weak position with respect to the winner, threatening the work of security and intelligence agencies, ability to protect basic human rights, correctness of operation of governmental institutes, etc.
Domain (JRC Taxonomy): Cryptology; Security Management and Governance; Network and Distributed Systems
Sector (JRC Taxonomy): All
Relation to emerging technologies: Quantum computing is by itself an emerging technology, which is only recently proved to be soon implemented in practices. Some cutting edge cryptographic techniques could be outlined here, like lattice-based, code-based, and multivariate-based primitives.
Benefits for EU: It is difficult to overestimate possible benefits for EU from possessing quantum information technologies. Industry and society will be severely impacted if this technology is not timely and correctly implemented. Loosing quantum race may put a country in a weak position with respect to the winner, threatening the work of security and intelligence agencies, ability to protect basic human rights, correctness of operation of governmental institutes, etc.
Domain (JRC Taxonomy): Cryptology; Security Management and Governance; Network and Distributed Systems
Sector (JRC Taxonomy): All
Relation to emerging technologies: Quantum computing is by itself an emerging technology, which is only recently proved to be soon implemented in practices. Some cutting edge cryptographic techniques could be outlined here, like lattice-based, code-based, and multivariate-based primitives.