The Rise of Quantum Computing

Apple’s dispute with the FBI has caused a resurgence of the debate about encryption in the United States, but the tech industry is working on creating a new type of computer that would turn the debate upside down. Quantum computers have long been a staple of science fiction, but recent advances have caused it to move into the realm of science fact.

These new types of computers use a completely different method of carrying out calculations – one that utilizes quantum mechanics to function. Quantum computers stand to be significantly faster than their conventional counterparts, and they are able to help tackle problems that would otherwise be impossible to solve. And the immense computing power that quantum computers possess could have a dramatic effect on encryption.

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by formers.” —Sept. 2018, Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 62

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