The National Security Agency is interested and already building a quantum computer intended to be capable of breaking through the strongest encryption tools on the internet, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
Steven Rich and Barton Gellman write large-scale quantum computers are envisioned as being able to break a 1,024-bit encryption, which is commonly used for online transactions.
A quantum computer is a machine that’s thousands of times faster than today’s fastest computer, Brian Resnick and Marina Koren report for an article in Nextgov.
“A quantum computer isn’t limited by ones and zeros,” added Resnick and Koren.
Nextgov reports that Google, the Universities Space Research Association and Canada-based D-Wave Systems are exploring how quantum computers can be used in various areas such as space exploration, air traffic control and robotics.
