Quantum Computing: Background, Opportunities, and Threats
Computational problems that would take a classical computer tens of thousands of years to complete can be solved in seconds by a quantum computer – making quantum computers’ power exponentially greater than computers in use today. This innovation will make advancements possible across many applications in cryptography, artificial intelligence and machine learning. However, there are concerns that quantum’s computational power will eventually compromise current encryption algorithms widely used by network operators. New cryptography algorithms will be required to secure communications and data from quantum computers. ATIS’ Quantum-Safe Communication and Information Initiative is addressing this issue.
Quantum-Safe Communication and Information Initiative
Although quantum computing is still in the early stages of development, network operators should begin to understand its implications on current communications and data management now. Identifying the key business and operational risks this innovative new technology presents as well as their impact is key. ATIS’ Quantum-Safe Communication and Information Initiative brings together industry experts on this topic and is developing a roadmap of work items to advance operators’ needs in this area, aligned with industry best practices and other quantum standards initiatives. Key regulatory, governance and interoperability implications to enable quantum-safe security are also being addressed.
Quantum-Safe Communication and Information Initiative Mission Statement
The mission of the ATIS Quantum-Safe Communication and Information Initiative is:
- Represent the North American communication industry on quantum-safe
- Build awareness of quantum’s security risks and educate members in quantum technologies
- Investigate how the telecommunications industry needs to be quantum-safe
- Influence standards and the communication industry globally on quantum-safe migration strategies
- Create an evolution path towards quantum-safe communications networks
The ATIS Quantum-Safe Communication and Information Initiative will:
- Describe in broad terms the components of communications network and services that need to be quantum-safe categories
- Identify key technical, business, and regulatory needs that will drive a North American migration strategy
- Monitor the development of postquantum cryptography standards and solutions and understand and evaluate the recommended migration approaches
- Identify any gaps across the technology and standards landscape
- Create a list of metrics for each area, to be able to measure progress
- Share findings with the industry
ATIS Open Quantum-Safe Test Framework (OQS-TF): Elevating Benchmarks
In collaboration with ATIS members and partners, we are developing an open source ‘Open Quantum Safe -Test Framework (OQS-TF)’ , which is designed to rigorously assess the performance characterization of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms across different platforms. The objective of OQS-TF is to define uniform performance benchmarks across diverse hardware, operating systems, virtualized infrastructures, and device platforms. In addition to this, the framework also seeks to understand the characterization of the different Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms’ applicability to real-world use cases. Please contact us to participate with this project.