Interview: Dr. Tuhin Sahai, Technical Fellow, United Technologies Research Center

What are you most looking forward to at the Quantum.Tech conference?

Quantum information processing (QIP) is rapidly evolving into a very active and exciting area of research. Over the past few years, the space has witnessed the emergence of numerous start-ups, substantial research investment opportunities, and tremendous media attention. The impact of the development of scalable quantum computers on the aerospace industry will be immediate. It will revolutionize the development of novel materials, verification and validation of complex systems, encryption methods, and supply chain optimization. Typically, meetings and conferences in QIP are very academic in nature. The Quantum.Tech conference is particularly exciting as it achieves a unique balance of academic and industrial participation with key emphasis on the recent advances in a broad range of QIP areas. Several theoretical ideas and their impact on industry will be explored extensively. I am very excited by the opportunity to learn from the speakers and network with attendees for potential collaboration with United Technologies. 

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the adoption of Quantum technology in 2019/ 2020?

Although the field of quantum computation is advancing quickly, all the current quantum computing platforms are fundamentally noisy (error-prone) devices. This greatly restricts their application in real world settings. In my opinion, the greatest challenge facing the adoption of quantum technologies is the development of scalable fault-tolerant quantum devices. In the absence of such solutions, an associated question is the elucidation of the benefits of current (noisy) quantum machines over classical computing platforms. It is absolutely critical that the above points be addressed to enable quantum computers to leap from research labs to practical settings.

Looking ahead a year from now, how do you see the adoption of Quantum computing progressing?

In the absence of major breakthroughs in the area of quantum error-correction, I believe that the current batch of quantum computers will remain restricted to research laboratories. However, I am certain that we will continue to see significant developments in this arena in both hardware and algorithmic/mathematical scenarios. Although the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers is unlikely in the near future, the aerospace and computing industries will continue to invest in this space to capture intellectual property and ready their R&D machinery for the eventual development of quantum computing platforms. For instance, it is critical that all communication infrastructure be made post-quantum secure to mitigate the risk of disruptions in the event of development of quantum computers. 

What is going to be the biggest area of focus for your organisation within Quantum over the next 12 months?

United Technologies will continue to focus on the development of a) new algorithms for quantum computers and b) technologies that enable post-quantum secure communication in aerospace scenarios. Our near-term goal is to demonstrate our approaches on commercially available noisy quantum devices and in prototype set ups. We plan to perform all our work in a manner that is conducive to the eventual deployment and integration of these solutions into our product portfolio. 

What are the most important factors you consider in selecting a new Quantum solution partner?

Our primary criteria for picking quantum solution providers are their technical capabilities, reputation, and the relevance of their methodologies for aerospace problems. Quantum solution providers that have demonstrated their technologies and complement our internal technical capabilities are particularly attractive. We typically choose solution providers with the aim of building long-term collaborations.

What are the first steps an organization can take to start making their data and networks “Quantum safe”?

The development of fault-tolerant quantum computers will disrupt standard encryption and authentication. In particular, Shor’s algorithm (implemented on a quantum computer) will factor integers in polynomial time thereby rendering the RSA algorithm vulnerable to quantum attacks. Note that this vulnerability impacts both authentication as well as encryption. It is imperative that organizations start assessing their software security stack from a post-quantum standpoint. This includes the identification of use of all quantum vulnerable approaches. Once the use of all such techniques is identified, the organizations will be able to select the most appropriate quantum secure solutions (such as quantum key distribution and post-quantum secure classical methods) for their settings. 

To see when Tuhin is speaking at Quantum.Tech, September 10-11, 2019, Boston, go to: https://www.quantumtechcongress.com/speakers/tuhin-sahai