Aliro Quantum CEO looks ahead to The Quantum Internet and Quantum Secure Communications (QSC)
Please give us a little introduction on your current role and what you do
I’m the CEO and President of Aliro Quantum, The Quantum Networking Company, headquartered in Boston. Our offices are located in the same building as two other quantum computing companies - we refer to it as Quantum Square (Harvard Square is a short distance away). I'm a tech entrepreneur. I've been in tech since earning my electrical engineering degree and I've been in big companies as well as in startups. Aliro Quantum is my fifth startup as the CEO. My job is to put together the best team to execute on our product and business strategy, and to build breakthrough products. Aliro is focused on building the software backbone of quantum networks and the future Quantum Internet. Our solution is AliroNet™.
What do you consider your biggest professional achievement to date?
I have launched companies and product lines in new spaces, and successfully sold emerging networking businesses to Cisco and IBM for $1 Billion. I won an Emmy Award for outstanding engineering achievement in developing Avid Technology's digital video editing system.
I had a proud moment this year when AliroNet was deployed by EPB Quantum Network powered by Qubitekk to provide configuration, control, and orchestration of the network. AliroNet™ centralizes, automates, and simplifies control of the network for technicians and end users. Without AliroNet, it would be impossible to manage a network of this scale. It’s an amazing leap toward the Quantum Internet, and a tremendous achievement for the entire team at Aliro.
What are you most excited about for quantum in 2023? What predictions do you have for the year ahead?
2023 is going to bring major quantum breakthroughs, particularly in quantum communications. There are 3 things I see on the horizon this year:
1. Quantum Secure Communications (QSC) will continue to gain prevalence as a way to augment and improve Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
QSC employs entanglement-based end-to-end connectivity, quantum teleportation, and other quantum network protocols. These entanglement-based quantum security protocols run over and are enabled by entanglement-based quantum networks, and are provably secure. 2023 is going to see a shift toward implementing multipurpose entanglement-based quantum networks, and away from mission-specific QKD networks.
2. Multipurpose entanglement-based networks will become the standard for quantum networks
Quantum networks require sophisticated control, management, and orchestration to operate seamlessly and at optimum capacity. While entanglement-based networks will require use of some emerging technologies, they do not need to be built entirely from scratch. These networks are able to leverage existing classical infrastructure such as optical fiber. In 2023, most new quantum network announcements will be leveraging entanglement-based quantum technologies. These multipurpose quantum networks will support end-to-end quantum secure communications, distributed quantum sensors, and networked quantum computers.
3. The Quantum Internet Connects
In 2023, the Quantum Internet will begin. Similar to initial connections between local networks that seeded the creation of today’s Internet, local quantum networks will begin to experimentally interconnect with other quantum networks to enable testing and trialing longer range communications over entanglement-based quantum networks.
Download the agenda to hear more exciting topics at Quantum.Tech USA
Where does your organization sit within the quantum ecosystem?
Aliro Quantum is a full-stack quantum network software solution which operates on quantum network hardware developed by other vendors. Aliro works in collaboration and coordination with quantum network device manufacturers.
Aliro provides quantum networks which enable Quantum Secure Communications (QSC) that will mitigate the threat quantum computers present to commonly used public-key encryption algorithms including RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). Aliro entanglement-based quantum networks also have the ability to interconnect quantum computers and network distributed quantum sensors.
Will 2023 be a year we come closer to quantum advantage for enterprises. If so how?
There are different interpretations of what quantum advantage is. Quantum computers continue to make advances in the number of qubits supported. We are not likely reach quantum advantage in quantum computers by the end of 2023, but there will be additional breakthroughs in demonstrating quantum computers ability to break used public-key encryption algorithms including RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) albeit not at the 1024 or 2056 bit sizes.
We will see further advances in networking clustered quantum computers together which will be a force multiplier in reaching quantum advantage. This approach will enable dozens and eventually hundreds of quantum computers to be networked and work together to achieve greater scale and more powerful outcomes.
Entanglement-based quantum networks will also achieve an advantage in 2023 by being able to carry qubits across local area and metro area networks such as the one being developed by EPB in Chattanooga, Tenn. This will open up commercial viability for quantum networks.
What do you think the key challenges of working with quantum in the NISQ era is?
The NISQ class of quantum computers are interesting and may provide us with great insight into solving certain types of problems which could bring us a step closer to other solutions. The industry will still need to continue to develop fault-tolerant less error prone quantum computers which will eventually be capable of solving problems originally thought to be unsolvable.
Hear how Jim and Aliro Quantum are overcoming these challenges here
How many qubits do you see us reaching in the next year to 18 months? Will they make a difference?
I believe that IBM will reach 1,121 qubits in 2023 with IBM Condor and I think they will reach the goal of 4,000+ qubits by 2025 via IBM Kookaburra. Simultaneously, there is very likely work being done by US adversaries to produce similar or more powerful quantum computers within the same time frame or sooner than IBM and other vendors are doing.
These will make a difference in solving more problems, but they are not likely to be able to solve some of the more challenging problems quantum computers will be able to solve in the future.
How do you think quantum will impact on cyber-security? Do enterprises need to be approaching this challenge now, or is that hype?
Quantum technology promises a wide range of fantastic benefits; it also poses potentially catastrophic, urgent security threats. Quantum computers are a big threat to our cybersecurity. Quantum technology promises a wide range of fantastic benefits; it also poses potentially catastrophic, urgent security threats. Quantum computers are a big threat to our cybersecurity.
Strong encryption techniques based on math-based algorithms such as RSA for key exchange all but guarantee an extraordinarily high level of confidence that the data, voice, and video traffic which is carried over the Internet or other private networks is done so securely. These math-based algorithms are secure because, for example, the resources required for a large-scale attack on a 2048-bit RSA key are estimated to be on the order of 2^112, which is beyond the capabilities of current classical computers.
The looming threat is that with the use of Shor’s algorithm (developed by Peter Shor in 1994) a quantum computer with sufficient power will be able to break commonly used public-key encryption algorithms, such as RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). The day the first quantum computer (or a network of quantum computers) is able to decrypt RSA is widely referred to as Q-Day.
Authentication and key distribution are absolutely vital to cybersecurity. Essentially, all information that is sent across the Internet will be rendered insecure by future quantum computers.
This will absolutely impact governments, businesses, and individuals. Defence and military data, intellectual property, financial and medical records, and even infrastructure operations like electricity and water management all rely on key schemes that are at risk. It's easy to imagine how devastating it would be if this information falls into the wrong hands. It’s absolutely necessary for enterprises to begin meeting the challenge of Q Day now because of the vast threat to our security that it poses. Any hardened methodology for addressing this threat will take time to implement. Getting started now will ensure your organization and its stakeholders are protected from the fallout of Q Day. That isn’t hype, that’s the reality of the quantum future.
The White House has taken this threat very seriously as shown in the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023 which was recently published. This paper states “We must prioritize and accelerate investments in widespread replacement of hardware, software, and services that can be easily compromised by quantum computers so that information is protected against future attacks.” They also go as far as to state that “The private sector should follow the government’s model in preparing its own networks and systems for our post-quantum future.” Enterprises must begin today evaluating, planning, and developing a strategy for transition to quantum-safe infrastructure.
In terms of finding the right talent; how are you going about looking for the best people to work on your product?
We have built an impressive team of experts in the areas of quantum physics, computer science, quantum networking, and classical networking. We have a holistic approach to recruiting the best people from each discipline to work on our product. This includes recruiting directly from top universities, attracting experienced talent in classical networking, and finding individuals who have been working on quantum technologies.
Do you see quantum as a service becoming a major trend? Do you think most quantum will be from the cloud?
Reaching quantum computing scale will require improvements in single quantum computers, but it will be even more important to network quantum computers together over local area quantum networks using technology such as entanglement-based quantum networks. These networked quantum computers will likely be co-located in larger data centers and access to them delivered as a service and time-shared. It will be similar to the way large powerful mainframe computers where they are time-shared by individuals and organizations to solve complicated problems, analyze large volumes of data, and run sophisticated algorithms. Fortunately access to cloud services has become ubiquitous making quantum compute as a service feasible.
Safe and secure access to these quantum cloud compute services will necessitate entanglement-based quantum networks like the one Aliro offers.
How do you see quantum working with AI and machine learning?
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning combined with quantum technology has the potential of being a substantial force multiplier for accelerating solutions for the most difficult problems we face today and in the future. AI will leverage quantum computing power running advanced algorithms on massive databases to quickly and iteratively solve difficult problems.
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What are you looking to showcase at our show in Boston this April?
Security threats from quantum computers and classical computers can be mitigated with Quantum Secure Communication using entanglement-based quantum networks. Aliro Quantum offers AliroNet, enabling quantum-safe data security as well as interconnecting of quantum devices for advanced computing and sensing performance. We’re excited to share a demo of AliroNet in action with EPB Quantum Network powered by Qubitekk.
Who are you looking forward to meeting?
I’m looking forward to meeting with organizations that need a secure communications network that will stand the test of time and need a quantum-safe solution that is compatible with existing classical networks. I’m also open to discussions with potential strategic partners like hardware vendors, research labs, and other quantum device creators about how the AliroNet can support their innovative processes, and who need a simple software-defined strategy for interconnecting devices like quantum computers, quantum sensors, and quantum memories and repeaters.
Quantum.Tech covers quantum computing, cryptography as well as sensing; what area are you most excited about and why?
Quantum Secure Communications with its inherent physics-based quantum-safe infrastructure is a necessary technology for the public sector, Enterprises, and telcos. Though this is exciting, I am most excited about the possibilities of solving the most challenging problems of today and those we are unaware exist through the use of networked quantum computers. This is where we will see many of the greatest advances.
Jim will be speaking at Quantum.Tech USA on Day 1 in a panel discussion on 'What is the future of quantum cryptography?'.
To see Jim share his thoughts on quantumlive in Boston, register here.