NATIONAL SECURITY MEMORANDUM/NSM-10

MEMORANDUM FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT

THE SECRETARY OF STATE

THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY

THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY

THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY

THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF STAFF

THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT BUDGET

THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL

SECURITY AFFAIRS

THE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT

THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC

POLICY AND DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC

COUNCIL

THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY POLICY

THE NATIONAL CYBER DIRECTOR

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

THE DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF

INVESTIGATION

THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY

THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

THE DIRECTOR OF THE CYBERSECURITY AND

INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY

SUBJECT: Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum

Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable

Cryptographic Systems

This memorandum outlines my Administrations policies and initiatives related to quantum computing. It identifies key steps needed to maintain the Nations competitive advantage in quantum information science (QIS), while mitigating the risks of quantum computers to the Nations cyber, economic, and national security. It directs specific actions for agencies to take as the United States begins the multi-year process of migrating vulnerable computer systems to quantum-resistant cryptography. A classified annex to this memorandum addresses sensitive national security issues.

Section 1. Policy. (a) Quantum computers hold the potential to drive innovations across the American economy, from fields as diverse as materials science and pharmaceuticals to finance and energy. While the full range of applications of quantum computers is still unknown, it is nevertheless clear that Americas continued technological and scientific leadership will depend, at least in part, on the Nations ability to maintain a competitive advantage in quantum computing and QIS.

(b) Yet alongside its potential benefits, quantum computing also poses significant risks to the economic and national security of the United States. Most notably, a quantum computer of sufficient size and sophistication also known as a cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) will be capable of breaking much of the public-key cryptography used on digital systems across the United States and around the world. When it becomes available, a CRQC could jeopardize civilian and military communications, undermine supervisory and control systems for critical infrastructure, and defeat security protocols for most Internet-based financial transactions.

(c) In order to balance the competing opportunities and risks of quantum computers, it is the policy of my Administration: (1) to maintain United States leadership in QIS, through continued investment, partnerships, and a balanced approach to technology promotion and protection; and (2) to mitigate the threat of CRQCs through a timely and equitable transition of the Nations cryptographic systems to interoperable quantumresistant cryptography.

(d) Additional guidance and directives may be required in the future as quantum computing technologies and their associated risks mature.

Sec. 2. Promoting United States Leadership. (a) The United States must pursue a whole-of-government and wholeofsociety strategy to harness the economic and scientific benefits of QIS, and the security enhancements provided by quantum-resistant cryptography. This strategy will require a coordinated, proactive approach to QIS research and development (R&D), an expansion of education and workforce programs, and a focus on developing and strengthening partnerships with industry, academic institutions, allies, and like-minded nations.

(b) The United States must seek to encourage transformative and fundamental scientific discoveries through investments in core QIS research programs. Investments should target the discovery of new quantum applications, new approaches to quantum-component manufacturing, and advances in quantumenabling technologies, such as photonics, nanofabrication, and cryogenic and semiconductor systems.

(c) The United States must seek to foster the next generation of scientists and engineers with quantum-relevant skill sets, including those relevant to quantum-resistant cryptography. Education in QIS and related cybersecurity principles should be incorporated into academic curricula at all levels of schooling to support the growth of a diverse domestic workforce. Furthermore, it is vital that we attract and retain talent and encourage career opportunities that keep quantum experts employed domestically.

(d) To promote the development of quantum technology and the effective deployment of quantum-resistant cryptography, theUnited States must establish partnerships with industry; academia; and State, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. These partnerships should advance joint R&D initiatives and streamline mechanisms for technology transfer between industry and government.

(e) The United States must promote professional and academic collaborations with overseas allies and partners. This international engagement is essential for identifying and following global QIS trends and for harmonizing quantum security and protection programs.

(f) In support of these goals, within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, agencies that fund research in, develop, or acquire quantum computers shall coordinate with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure a coherent national strategy for QIS promotion and technology protection, including for workforce issues. To facilitate this coordination, all such agencies shall identify a liaison to the National Quantum Coordination Office to share information and best practices, consistent with section 102(b)(3) of the National Quantum Initiative Act (Public Law 115-368) and section 6606 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81). All coordination efforts shall be undertaken with appropriate protections for sensitive and classified information and intelligence sources and methods.

Sec. 3. Mitigating the Risks to Encryption. (a) Any digital system that uses existing public standards for publickey cryptography, or that is planning to transition to such cryptography, could be vulnerable to an attack by a CRQC. To mitigate this risk, the United States must prioritize the timely and equitable transition of cryptographic systems to quantum-resistant cryptography, with the goal of mitigating as much of the quantum risk as is feasible by 2035. Currently, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), in their capacity as the National Manager for National Security Systems (National Manager), are each developing technical standards for quantumresistant cryptography for their respective jurisdictions. The first sets of these standards are expected to be released publicly by 2024.

(b) Central to this migration effort will be an emphasis on cryptographic agility, both to reduce the time required to transition and to allow for seamless updates for future cryptographic standards. This effort is an imperative across all sectors of the United States economy, from government to critical infrastructure, commercial services to cloud providers, and everywhere else that vulnerable public-key cryptography is used.

(c) Consistent with these goals:

(i) Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of NIST, shall initiate an open working group with industry, including critical infrastructure owners and operators, and other stakeholders, as determined by the Director of NIST, to further advance adoption of quantum-resistant cryptography. This working group shall identify needed tools and data sets, and other considerations to inform the development by NIST of guidance and best practices to assist with quantumresistant cryptography planning and prioritization. Findings of this working group shall be provided, on an ongoing basis, to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), and the National Cyber Director to incorporate into planning efforts.

(ii) Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of NIST, shall establish a Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography Project at the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to work with the private sector to address cybersecurity challenges posed by the transition to quantum-resistant cryptography. This project shall develop programs for discovery and remediation of any system that does not use quantum-resistant cryptography or that remains dependent on vulnerable systems.

(iii) Within 180 days of the date of this memorandum, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and in coordination with Sector Risk Management Agencies, shall engage with critical infrastructure and SLTT partners regarding the risks posed by quantum computers, and shall provide an annual report to the Director of OMB, the APNSA, and the National Cyber Director that includes recommendations for accelerating those entities migration to quantum-resistant cryptography.

(iv) Within 180 days of the date of this memorandum, and on an ongoing basis, the Director of OMB, in consultation with the Director of CISA, the Director of NIST, the National Cyber Director, and the Director of NSA, shall establish requirements for inventorying all currently deployed cryptographic systems, excluding National Security Systems (NSS). These requirements shall include a list of key information technology (IT) assets to prioritize, interim benchmarks, and a common (and preferably automated) assessment process for evaluating progress on quantum-resistant cryptographic migration in IT systems.

(v) Within 1 year of the date of this memorandum, and on an annual basis thereafter, the heads of all Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) Agencies shall deliver to the Director of CISA and the National Cyber Director an inventory of their IT systems that remain vulnerable to CRQCs, with a particular focus on High Value Assets and High Impact Systems. Inventories should include current cryptographic methods used on IT systems, including system administrator protocols, non-security software and firmware that require upgraded digital signatures, and information on other key assets.

(vi) By October 18, 2023, and on an annual basis thereafter, the National Cyber Director shall, based on the inventories described in subsection 3(c)(v) of this memorandum and in coordination with the Director of CISA and the Director of NIST, deliver a status report to the APNSA and the Director of OMB on progress made by FCEB Agencies on their migration of non-NSS IT systems to quantum-resistant cryptography. This status report shall include an assessment of the funding necessary to secure vulnerable IT systems from the threat posed by adversarial access to quantum computers, a description and analysis of ongoing coordination efforts, and a strategy and timeline for meeting proposed milestones.

(vii) Within 90 days of the release of the first set of NIST standards for quantum-resistant cryptography referenced in subsection 3(a) of this memorandum, andon an annual basis thereafter, as needed, the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of NIST, shall release a proposed timeline for the deprecation of quantum-vulnerable cryptography in standards, with the goal of moving the maximum number of systems off quantum-vulnerable cryptography within a decade of the publication of the initial set of standards. The Director of NIST shall work with the appropriate technical standards bodies to encourage interoperability of commercial cryptographic approaches.

(viii) Within 1 year of the release of the first set of NIST standards for quantum-resistant cryptography referenced in subsection 3(a) of this memorandum, the Director of OMB, in coordination with the Director of CISA and the Director of NIST, shall issue a policy memorandum requiring FCEB Agencies to develop a plan to upgrade their non-NSS IT systems to quantum-resistant cryptography. These plans shall be expeditiously developed and be designed to address the most significant risks first. The Director of OMB shall work with the head of each FCEB Agency to estimate the costs to upgrade vulnerable systems beyond already planned expenditures, ensure that each plan is coordinated and shared among relevant agencies to assess interoperability between solutions, and coordinate with the National Cyber Director to ensure plans are updated accordingly.

(ix) Until the release of the first set of NIST standards for quantum-resistant cryptography referenced in subsection 3(a) of this memorandum, the heads of FCEB Agencies shall not procure any commercial quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions for use in IT systems supporting enterprise and mission operations. However, to assist with anticipating potential compatibility issues, the heads of such FCEB Agencies should conduct tests of commercial solutions that have implemented pre-standardized quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. These tests will help identify interoperability or performance issues that may occur in Federal environments at an early stage and will contribute to the mitigation of those issues. The heads of such FCEB Agencies should continue to implement and, where needed, upgrade existing cryptographic implementations, but should transition to quantum-resistant cryptography only once the first set of NIST standards for quantum-resistant cryptography is complete and implemented in commercial products. Conformance with international standards should be encouraged, and may be required for interoperability.

(x) Within 1 year of the date of this memorandum, and annually thereafter, the Director of NSA, serving in its capacity as the National Manager, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall provide guidance on quantum-resistant cryptography migration, implementation, and oversight for NSS. This guidance shall be consistent with National Security Memorandum/NSM-8 (Improving the Cybersecurity of National Security, Department of Defense, and Intelligence Community Systems). The National Manager shall share best practices and lessons learned with the Director of OMB and the National Cyber Director, as appropriate.

(xi) Within 1 year of the date of this memorandum, and on an ongoing basis, and consistent with section 1 of NSM-8, the heads of agencies operating NSS shall identify and document all instances where quantum-vulnerable cryptography is used by NSS and shall provide this information to the National Manager.

(xii) Within 180 days of issuance by the National Manager of its standards on quantum-resistant cryptography referenced in section 3(a) of this memorandum, and annually thereafter, the National Manager shall release an official timeline for the deprecation of vulnerable cryptography in NSS, until the migration to quantum-resistant cryptography is completed.

(xiii) Within 1 year of issuance by the National Manager of its standards on quantum-resistant cryptography for referenced in subsection 3(a) of this memorandum, and annually thereafter, the heads of agencies operating or maintaining NSS shall submit to the National Manager, and, as appropriate, the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer or the Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer, depending on their respective jurisdictions, an initial plan to transition to quantumresistant cryptography in all NSS. These plans shall be updated annually and shall include relevant milestones, schedules, authorities, impediments, funding requirements, and exceptions authorized by the head of the agency in accordance with section 3 of NSM-8 and guidance from the National Manager.

(xiv) By December 31, 2023, agencies maintaining NSS shall implement symmetric-key protections (e.g., High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor (HAIPE) exclusion keys or VPN symmetric key solutions) to provide additional protection for quantum-vulnerable key exchanges, where appropriate and in consultation with the National Manager. Implementation should seek to avoid interference with interoperability or other cryptographic modernization efforts.

(xv) By December 31, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall deliver to the APNSA and the Director of OMB an assessment of the risks of quantum computing to the defense industrial base and to defense supply chains, along with a plan to engage with key commercial entities to upgrade their IT systems to achieve quantum resistance.

Sec. 4. Protecting United States Technology. (a) In addition to promoting quantum leadership and mitigating the risks of CRQCs, the United States Government must work to safeguard relevant quantum R&D and intellectual property (IP) and to protect relevant enabling technologies and materials. Protection mechanisms will vary, but may include counterintelligence measures, well-targeted export controls, and campaigns to educate industry and academia on the threat of cybercrime and IP theft.

(b) All agencies responsible for either promoting or protecting QIS and related technologies should understand the security implications of adversarial use and consider those security implications when implementing new policies, programs, and projects.

(c) The United States should ensure the protection of U.S.developed quantum technologies from theft by our adversaries. This will require campaigns to educate industry, academia, and SLTT partners on the threat of IP theft and on the importance of strong compliance, insider threat detection, and cybersecurity programs for quantum technologies. As appropriate, Federal law enforcement agencies and other relevant agencies should investigate and prosecute actors who engage in the theft of quantum trade secrets or who violate United States export control laws. To support efforts to safeguard sensitive information, Federal law enforcement agencies should exchange relevant threat information with agencies responsible for developing and promoting quantum technologies.

(d) Consistent with these goals, by December 31, 2022, the heads of agencies that fund research in, develop, or acquire quantum computers or related QIS technologies shall develop comprehensive technology protection plans to safeguard QIS R&D, acquisition, and user access. Plans shall be coordinated across agencies, including with Federal law enforcement, to safeguard quantum computing R&D and IP, acquisition, and user access. These plans shall be updated annually and provided to the APNSA, the Director of OMB, and the Co-Chairs of the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Economic and Security Implications of Quantum Science.

Sec. 5. Definitions. For purposes of this memorandum:

(a) the term agency has the meaning ascribed to it under 44 U.S.C. 3502;

(b) the term critical infrastructure means systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the UnitedStates that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on the Nations security, economy, public health and safety, or any combination thereof;

(c) the term cryptographic agility means a design feature that enables future updates to cryptographic algorithms and standards without the need to modify or replace the surrounding infrastructure;

(d) the term cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer or CRQC means a quantum computer capable of undermining current public-key cryptographic algorithms;

(e) the term Federal Civilian Executive Branch Agency or FCEB Agency means any agency except the Department of Defense or agencies in the Intelligence Community;

(f) the term high value asset means information or an information system that is so critical to an organization that the loss or corruption of this information, or loss of access to the system, would have serious impacts on the organizations ability to perform its mission or conduct business;

(g) the term high impact system means an information system in which at least one security objective (i.e., confidentiality, integrity, or availability) is assigned a Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 199 potential impact value of high;

(h) the term information technology or IT has the meaning ascribed to it under 44 U.S.C. 3502;

(i) the term National Security Systems or NSS has the meaning ascribed to it in 44 U.S.C 3552(b)(6) and shall also include other Department of Defense and Intelligence Community systems, as described in 44 U.S.C. 3553(e)(2) and 44 U.S.C.3553(e)(3);

(j) the term quantum computer means a computer utilizing the collective properties of quantum states, such as superposition, interference and entanglement, to perform calculations. The foundations in quantum physics give a quantum computer the ability to solve a subset of hard mathematical problems at a much faster rate than a classical (i.e., nonquantum) computer;

(k) the term quantum information sciences or QIS has the meaning ascribed to it under 15 U.S.C. 8801(6) and means the study and application of the laws of quantum physics for the storage, transmission, manipulation, computing, or measurement of information; and

(l) the term quantum-resistant cryptography means those cryptographic algorithms or methods that are assessed not to be specifically vulnerable to attack by either a CRQC or classical computer. This is also referred to as post-quantum cryptography.

Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof, to include the protection of intelligence sources and methods; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This memorandum shall also be implemented without impeding the conduct or support of intelligence activities, and all implementation measures shall be designed to be consistent with appropriate protections for sensitive information and intelligence sources and methods.

(d) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the UnitedStates, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Continued here:
National Security Memorandum on Promoting United States Leadership in ...

IBMs recently expanded its Quantum Roadmap. Its important, because it shows that if you arent developing quantum programming skills now, youre already behind.

Up until now, most of us were still thinking that we had around a decade before wed need to be competent in this space to remain competitive, but this roadmap suggests the need for these skills may be necessary as early as 2025. Building competence in a revolutionary technology that has little in common with existing computing concepts is going to take considerable training.

Lets cover the state of the market according to IBM and why you are increasingly exposed if you arent spinning up a core team skilled in quantum computing, as a hedge against its premature emergence tomorrow.

IBMs goals for 2022 are aggressive against the old timeline but right in line with the new one. They include:

Of these goals the most interesting to me is the creation of dynamic circuits. Dynamic circuits provide the bi-directional feedback of quantum measurements, which are used to direct the course of future operations. These dynamic circuits are critical to the flexibility of quantum computing and its ability to adapt to existing and future related workloads. These circuits extend into the hardware and are core to the future capability of quantum computing.

Second, of course, is the increase in quantum volume, which speaks to the capability and viability of quantum computing, and IBM and is on the critical path to quantum leadership when quantum computing finally rises to meet, and likely exceed, its expectations.

One very interesting part of this announcement is the emergence of quantum-centric computing. This is much like a supercharger or turbocharger on an engine but with a massively greater potential performance boost to existing high performance computing (HPC) and supercomputer platforms. This anticipates the creation of QPUs that will work in conjunction with CPUs and GPUs to create a level of performance unparalleled in modern times.

Focused on solving the worlds toughest problems, this new class of computers will be critical to both addressing current large-scale problems, like climate change, and future existential problems to humanity.

This wont be easy. IBM is effectively rewriting the rules surrounding the entire computing market, using quantum computing as the change agent. If successful, it could turn IBM into a powerhouse.

IBM is one of a handful of companies leading the charge to quantum-centric computing.

It has worked aggressively to develop, in parallel, both the technology and training necessary to advance this technology into the market and move it into the mainstream of computing. If successful, IBM will help pivot the market to this new, vastly higher performing technology. If the industry as a whole isnt ready for it, itll quickly fall behind.

Areas like classification and compliance at scale as well as the ability of governments to catch companies that arent compliant will increase dramatically, customer analysis will become more accurate, and predictive algorithms will become more accurate as well.

Companies that can deploy this technology once its ready will have a significant competitive advantage over those that cant. The time is now to spin up quantum computing expertise, so you know when and how to use this technology effectively when it becomes available.

See the original post here:
The Importance of IBM's Expanded Quantum Roadmap - Datamation

ORLANDO, Fla., May 31, 2022 Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have introduced a previously undescribed class of topological insulators. The researchers increased the speed and efficiency of light as it flows through photonic circuits, in a demonstration that is poised to advance photonic quantum computing.

The UCF design diverges from traditional design approaches that introduce topological phases by using tailored, discrete coupling protocols or helical lattice motions. To improve the robustness of the topological features, the UCF team instead used connective chains with periodically modulated onsite potentials. It developed a phase structure to host multiple nontrivial topological phases associated with both Chern-type and anomalous chiral states. The team then laser-etched the chained, honeycomb lattice design onto silica.

Nodes in the design allowed the researchers to modulate the current without bending or stretching the photonic wires. This in turn allowed greater control over the flow of light and thus, more control over the information that flows into a photonic circuit.

The researchers confirmed their findings using imaging techniques and numerical simulations. In experiments carried out in photonic waveguide lattices, they discovered a strongly confined helical edge state that, owing to its origin in bulk flat bands, could be set into motion in a topologically protected fashion or halted at will, without compromising its adherence to individual lattice sites.

The topological insulator design, which the researchers call bimorphic, supports longer propagation lengths for information packets because it minimizes power losses. The researchers believe that by providing more control and richer features than traditional modulation techniques, their approach to designing bimorphic topological insulators could help bring light-based computing closer to reality.

Bimorphic topological insulators introduce a new paradigm shift in the design of photonic circuitry by enabling secure transport of light packets with minimal losses, researcher Georgios Pyrialakos said.

As the size of photonic circuits continues to shrink, topological insulators could be used to fit more processing power into a single circuit without overheating it. In the future, topological insulators could be used to protect and harness the power of fragile quantum information bits to realize quantum processing power hundreds of millions of times faster than conventional computers.

The research was published in Nature Materials (www.doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01238-w).

Visit link:
Materials-Based Solution Ups the Speed for Photonic Computing - Photonics.com

HPCwire presents our interview with Eric Eppe, head of portfolio & solutions, HPC & Quantum at Atos, and an HPCwire 2022 Person to Watch. In this exclusive Q&A, Eppe recounts Atos major milestones from the past year and previews whats in store for the year ahead. Exascale computing, quantum hybridization and decarbonization are focus areas for the company and having won five out of the seven EuroHPC system contracts, Atos is playing a big role in Europes sovereign technology plans. Eppe also shares his views on HPC trends whats going well and what needs to change and offers advice for the next-generation of HPC professionals.

Eric, congratulations on your selection as a 2022 HPCwire Person to Watch. Summarize the major milestones achieved last year for Atos in your division and briefly outline your HPC/AI/quantum agenda for 2022.

2021 was a strong year for Atos Big Data and Security teams, despite the pandemic. Atos BullSequana XH2000 was in its third year and was already exceeding all sales expectations. More than 100,000 top bin AMD CPUs were sold on this platform, and it made one of the first entries for AMD Epyc in the Top500.

We have not only won five out of seven EuroHPC petascale projects, but also delivered some of the most significant HPC systems. For example, we delivered one of largest climate studies and weather forecast systems in the world to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). In addition, Atos delivered a full BullSequana XH2000 cluster to the German climate research center (DKRZ). 2021 was also the launch of Atos ThinkAI and the delivery of a number of very large AI systems such as WASP in Sweden.

2022 is the year in which we are preparing the future with our next-gen Atos BullSequana XH3000 supercomputer, a hybrid computing platform bringing together flexibility, performance and energy-efficiency. Announced recently in Paris, this goes along with the work that has started on hybrid computing frameworks to integrate AI and quantum accelerations with supercomputing workflows.

Sovereignty and sustainability were key themes at Atos launch of its exascale supercomputing architecture, the BullSequana XH3000. Please address in a couple paragraphs how Atos views these areas and why they are important.

This was a key point I mentioned during the supercomputers reveal. For Europe, the real question is should we indefinitely rely on foreign technologies to find new vaccines, develop autonomous electric vehicles, and find strategies to face climate changes?

The paradox is that Europe leads the semiconductor substrate and manufacturing markets (with Soitec and ASML) but has no European foundry in the <10nm class yet. It is participating in the European Processor Initiative (EPI) and will implement SiPearl technologies in the BullSequana XH3000, but it will take time to mature enough and replace other technologies.

Atos has built a full HPC business in less than 15 years, becoming number one in Europe and in the top four worldwide in the supercomputer segment, with its entire production localized in its French factory. We are heavily involved in all projects that are improving European sovereignty.

EU authorities are today standing a bit behind compared to how the USA and China regulations are managing large petascale or exascale procurements, as well as the difference between how funding flows to local companies developing HPC technologies. This is a major topic.

Atos has developed a significant amount of IP, ranging from supercomputing platforms, low latency networks, cooling technologies, software and AI, security and large manufacturing capabilities in France with sustainability and sovereignty as a guideline. We are partnering with a number of European companies, such as SiPearl, IQM, Pasqal, AQT, Graphcore, ARM, OVH and many labs, to continue building this European Sovereignty.

Atos has announced its intention to develop and support quantum accelerators. What is Atos quantum computing strategy?

Atos has taken a hardware-agnostic approach in crafting quantum-powered supercomputers and enabling end-user applications. Atos ambition is to be a major player in multiple domains amongst which are quantum programming and simulation, the next-generation quantum-powered supercomputers, consulting services, and of course, quantum-safe cybersecurity.Atos launched the Atos Quantum Learning Machine (QLM) in 2017, a quantum appliance emulating almost all target quantum processing units with abstractions to connect to real quantum computing hardware when available. We have been very successful with the QLM in large academics or research centers on all continents. In 2021, there was a shift of many commercial companies starting to work on real use cases, and the QLM is the best platform to start these projects without waiting for hardware to be available at scale.

Atos plays a central role in European-funded quantum computing projects. We are cooperating with NISC QPU makers to develop new technologies and increase their effectiveness in a hybrid computing scenario. This includes, but is not limited to, hybrid frameworks, containerization, parallelization, VQE, GPU usage and more.

Where do you see HPC headed? What trends and in particular emerging trends do you find most notable? Any areas you are concerned about, or identify as in need of more attention/investment?

As for upcoming trends in the world of supercomputing, I see a few low-noise trends. Some technological barriers that may trigger drastic changes, and some arising technologies that may have large impacts on how we do HPC in the future. Most players, and Atos more specifically, are looking into quantum hybridization and decarbonization which will open many doors in the near future.

Up to this point, HPC environment has been quite conservative. I believe that administrators are starting to see the benefits of orchestration and micro service-based cluster management. There are some obstacles, but I do see more merits than issues in containerizing and orchestrating HPC workloads. There are some rising technological barriers that may push our industry in a corner, while at the same time giving us opportunities to change the way we architect our systems.

High performance low latency networks are making massive use of copper cables. With higher data rates (400Gb/s in 2022 and 800Gb/s in 2025) the workable copper cable length will be divided by 4x, replaced by active or fiber cables with cabling costs certainly increasing by 5 or 6x. This is clearly an obstacle to systems that are going to range in the 25,000 endpoints, with a cabling budget in tens of millions.

This very simple problem may impose a paradigm shift in the way devices, from a general standpoint, are connected and communicate together. This triggers deeper architectural design points changes from racks to nodes and down to elements that are deeply integrated today such as compute cores, buses, memory and associated controllers, and switches. I wont say the 800Gb/s step alone will change everything, but the maturity of some technologies, such as silicon photonics and the emerging standardization on very powerful protocols like CXL, will enable a lot more flexibility while continuing to push the limits. Also, note that CXL is just in its infancy, but already shows promise for a memory coherent space between heterogenous devices, centralized or distributed, mono or multi-tenant memory pools.

Silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs), because they offer theoretically Tb/s bandwidth through native fiber connection, should allow a real disaggregation between devices that are today very tightly connected together on more complex and more expensive than ever PCBs.

What will be possible inside a node will be possible outside of it, blurring the traditional frontier between a node, a blade, a rack and a supercomputer, offering a world of possibilities and new architectures.

The market is probably not fully interested in finding an alternative to the ultra-dominance of the Linpack or its impact on how we imagine, engineer, size and deliver our supercomputers. Ultimately, how relevant is its associated ranking to real life problems? I wish we could initiate a trend that ranks global system efficiency versus available peak power. This would help HPC players to consider working on all optimization paths rather than piling more and more compute power.

Lastly, I am concerned by the fact that almost nothing has changed in the last 30 years in how applications are interacting with data. Well, HPC certainly uses faster devices. We now have clustered shared file systems like Lustre. Also, we have invented object-oriented key and value abstractions, but in reality storage subsystems are most of the time centralized. They are connected on the high-speed fabric. They are also oversized to absorb checkpoints from an ever-growing node count, while in nominal regime they only use a portion of the available bandwidth. Ultimately with workloads, by nature spread across all fabric, most of the power consumption comes from IOs.

However, its time to change this situation. There are some possible avenues, and they will improve as a side effect, the global efficiency of HPC workloads, hence the sustainability and the value of HPC solutions.

More generally, what excites you about working in high-performance computing?

Ive always loved to learn and be intellectually stimulated, especially in my career environment. High performance computing, along with AI and now quantum, are giving me constant food for thoughts and options to solve big problems than I will ever been able to absorb.

I appreciate pushing the limits every day, driving the Atos portfolio and setting the directions, ultimately helping our customers to solve their toughest problems. This is really rewarding for me and our Atos team. Im never satisfied, but Im very proud of what we have achieved together, bringing Atos into the top four ranking worldwide in supercomputers.

What led you to pursue a career in the computing field and what are your suggestions for engaging the next generation of IT professionals?

Ive always been interested by technology, initially attracted by everything that either flew or sailed. Really, Im summarizing this into everything that plays with wind. In my teenage years, after experiencing sailboards and gliders, I was fortunate enough to have access to my first computer in late 1979 when I was 16. My field of vision prevented me from being a commercial pilot, thus I started pursuing a software engineering master degree that led me into the information technology world.

When I began my career in IT, I was not planning any specific path to a specific domain. I simply took all opportunities to learn a new domain, work hard to succeed, and jump to something new that excited me. In my first position, I was lucky enough to work on an IBM mainframe doing CAD with some software development, as well as embracing a fully unknown system engineering role that I had to learn from scratch. Very educational! I jumped from developing in Fortran and doing system engineering on VM/SP and Unix. Then I learned Oracle RDMBS and Internet at Intergraph, HPC servers and storage at SGI. I pursued my own startups, and now Im leading the HPC, AI and quantum portfolio at Atos.

What I would tell the next generation of IT professional for their career is to:

First, only take roles in which you will learn new things. It could be managerial, financial, technical it doesnt matter. To evolve in your future career, the more diverse experience you have, the better you will be able to react and be effective. Move to another role when you are not learning anymore or if you are far too long in your comfort zone.

Second, look at problems to solve, think out of the box and with a 360-degree vision. Break the barriers, and change the angle of view to give new perspectives and solutions to your management and customers.

Also, compensation is important, but its not all. What you will do, how it will make you happy in your life, and what you will achieve professionally is more important. Ultimately, compare your salary with the free time that remains to spend it with your family and friends. Lastly, compensation is not always an indicator of success, but rather changing the world for the better and making our planet a better place to live is the most important benefit you will find in high performance computing.

Outside of the professional sphere, what can you tell us about yourself family stories, unique hobbies, favorite places, etc.? Is there anything about you your colleagues might be surprised to learn?

Together with my wife, we are the proud parents of two beautiful adult daughters. Also we have our three-year-old, bombshell Jack Russell named Pepsy, who brings a lot of energy to our house.

We live Northwest of Paris in a small city on the Seine river. Im still a private pilot and still cruising sail boats with family and friends. I recently participated in the ARC 2021 transatlantic race with three friends on a trimaran boat a real challenge and a great experience. Soon, were off to visiting Scotland for a family vacation!

Eppe is one of 12 HPCwire People to Watch for 2022. You can read the interviews with the other honorees at this link.

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Q&A with Atos' Eric Eppe, an HPCwire Person to Watch in 2022 - HPCwire

IBM 2022 Roadmap ... [+]

Last week IBM updated its quantum computing roadmap for the third time since the first one was published in 2020. In this roadmap, IBM has effectively introduced new and essential technologies at every layer of the stack. It has also provided new tools for kernel developers, algorithm developers, and model developers. These developments all require new hardware, software, and new architecture.

This roadmap suggests that IBM will accelerate quantum's expected trajectory by developing quantum processors that have the potential to scale to hundreds of thousands of qubits several years earlier than expected.

If IBMs roadmap is implemented, it will change the paradigm of quantum computing. A decade ago, CPU-centric supercomputing was the exclusive domain of government and researchers for solving large and complex scientific problems. Since then, it has been democratized and transformed into various types of AI-centric supercomputing used in almost every industry today.

This roadmap is IBM's plan to create a new family of quantum processors, software, and services that will lead to the realization of the next generation of supercomputers, a quantum-centric supercomputer. The combined resources of quantum processors, CPUs, and GPUs are expected to solve some of the world's most challenging problems.

The big picture

I had the opportunity to discuss IBMs new roadmap and its long-term impact on quantum computing with Dr. Blake Johnson, IBM Quantum Platform Lead. Dr. Johnson has an extensive quantum background. Before his current role at IBM, Dr. Johnson was Vice President of Quantum Engineering at Rigetti Computing, and preceding Rigetti, he was Senior Scientist at Raytheons BBN Technologies. Dr. Johnson received his undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard University and his PhD in physics from Yale University.

Dr. Johnson explained that IBM Research is developing four new quantum processors scheduled for release in 2023, 2024, and 2025. IBM Quantum System Two will provide the infrastructure needed to support its new processor architecture. IBM is planning for a prototype of System 2 to be running in 2023.

Even though IBM has scheduled the release of its new quantum processors, it still plans to release the single-chip QPUs shown on the previous roadmap. These include Osprey 433-qubit processor, scheduled for release later this year, and Condor 1121-qubit processor, expected to release in 2023.

On the previous roadmap, IBM launched Qiskit Runtime, a runtime environment of co-located classical systems and quantum systems built to support containerized execution of quantum circuits at speed and scale. Earlier this month, IBM announced updates to Qiskit Runtime, equipping it with two new primitives. Primitives are predefined programs that make it easy to create quantum-classical workloads needed to build and customize applications.

The new primitives - Sampler and Estimator - optimize how code is sent to a quantum computer. Sampler generates outputs that help determine a solution to the computation by sampling quantum circuits. Estimator is a program interface that estimates the expected values of quantum operators so that users can calculate and interpret the anticipated quantum operator values needed by many algorithms.

In 2023, IBM will provide additional primitives that run on parallelized quantum processors to obtain application speedup. At a high level, Quantum Serverless allows for flexible combinations of elastic classical computing with quantum, while Primitives serve as the quantum-classical interface.

A new modular architecture

IBMs latest roadmap introduces an entirely new modular architecture much different than the architecture used by its existing family of quantum processors. The new architecture connects quantum processors to a common control infrastructure so that data can flow classically and in real-time between the QPU and other chips in a multi-chip environment.

In addition, it also employs an entirely new multi-qubit gate scheme that is both faster and higher-fidelity.

Heron quantum processors connected to controllers

In 2023, a new 133-qubit QPU called Heron will be the first IBM processor to use the new architecture. The above graphic illustrates how multiple Heron processors can be linked together using classical couplers to permit classical parallelization.

Dr. Johnson said that the multi-chip Heron configuration would be extensible based on demand and application requirements. He said, We believe this is an extensible architecture that is scalable to whatever size we want by using classical parallelization of quantum hardware."

Modular design, classical coupling, and parallelization of quantum hardware are all essential elements in designing a quantum-centric supercomputer.

Scaling with quantum couplers

In 2023, IBMs roadmap begins building the foundation needed for its long-term goals by introducing short and long-range quantum coupling technologies. Couplers allow qubits to be logically scaled without fabricating larger chips. This accommodates increased input-output density that would otherwise be needed to get more signals in and out of the system.

The coupling scheme requires the same number of wires per qubit, but the couplers stretch out the footprint so that more wires are not crammed into the same physical space.

Transitioning from single-chip QPUs to multiple chip QPUs

Existing IBM quantum processors are single-chip devices. In 2024, IBM will introduce its first multiple chip processor called Crossbill, a 408 qubit processor that demonstrates the first application of short-range coupling.

Concurrent with Crossbills development in 2024, IBM will also develop a 1386+ qubit quantum processor called Flamingo, the first QPU to use long-range coupling. IBM will also demonstrate parallel quantum processors using three link-connected Flamingos.

Quantum technologies developed in 2024 will pave the way for the next generation of quantum processors and enable them to scale to hundreds of thousands of qubits using multiple chips.

2025 Kookaburra, the big bird

Quantum Parallelization of Multi-Chip Quantum Processors

In 2025, IBM will use technologies developed in prior years to create a 4158+ qubit quantum processor called Kookaburra. It will be the first processor to use a combination of the chip-to-chip short-range and long-range couplers.

Looking past 2025, coupling technologies will begin to solve most near-term scaling problems. As shown with Heron, systems can be linked together with classical parallelism using chip-to-chip links for multiple modules or extend the size of individual units with long range coupling.

Dynamic circuits

IBM Dynamic Circuits

Like previous roadmaps, this years roadmap also shows software layers associated with respective hardware targets. Although dynamic circuits were first announced in 2021, after further development, IBM will selectively deploy the technology on exploratory systems later this year.

Dynamic circuits are a powerful and important technology that can:

The use of dynamic circuits has essentially created a much broader family of circuits that take advantage of measurement and computation and management to allow future states to be changed or controlled by the outcome of mid-circuit measurements made during circuit execution.

Quantum Serverless

IBM Orchestration

In 2023, IBM will begin developing more enhanced applications of elastic computing and parallelization of Qiskit Runtime.

It is much easier for algorithm developers to create and run many small quantum and classical programs than one large program. IBM is integrating Quantum Serverless into its core software stack to enable circuit knitting, allowing large quantum circuits to be solved by splitting them into smaller circuits and distributing them across quantum resources. Knitted circuits can be recombined by using an orchestrated solution of classical CPUs and GPUs.

The necessary hardware and software should be in place by 2023 that allows model developers to begin prototyping software applications for specific use cases. According to the roadmap, machine learning will be the first case. Jumping forward to 2025, IBM plans to expand applications to include optimization, natural sciences, and others.

Roadmap challenges

There are several challenges IBM must address in its roadmap if it is to reach its end goal of building a quantum-centric supercomputer:

Wrapping it up

IBM 2022 Roadmap ... [+]

IBMs future efforts will continue to focus on scaling qubits, increasing quality and maximizing speed of quantum circuits. Each block of technology in its roadmap is a measured and critical step in an overall orchestrated evolution that, if properly executed, will allow IBM to achieve its end goal of building quantum processors with hundreds of thousands of qubits. Qiskit Runtime and Runtime primitives will continue to play an essential role in IBMs future plans and it is expected to increase speedup from todays 120x to 200,000x sometime in the future.

In 2023, IBM will deploy the last of its single-chip quantum processors, the 1121-qubit Condor. That year will also see the deployment of three key technologies that form the foundation of its overall plan. These consist of a completely new quantum computing architecture and two key scaling elements: a short-range chip-to-chip coupler and a long-range coupler.

The first multiple chip processor, called Crossbill with 408 qubits, will be introduced in 2024. This step explores the path to increase the size of quantum processors beyond the area limits of a single chip.

A year later, in 2025, almost every part of IBMs technology plan comes together in the form of a 4158+ qubit quantum processor called Kookaburra (a plus sign behind the qubit count means IBM believes it can scale this processor to any number of qubits it feels is necessary for the application). While each new quantum processor is important to the overall roadmap, Kookaburra appears to be the cornerstone of IBMs future generations of quantum processors. In previous roadmaps, it seemed that Condor would be the future architecture.

By 2026, quantum computers with large numbers of qubits should finally be able to solve a select number of useful problems far beyond classical computers' capability.

Analyst notes:

Note: Moor Insights & Strategy writers and editors may have contributed to this article.

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IBMs Newest Quantum Computing Roadmap Unveils Four New Quantum Processors And Future Plans For A Quantum Supercomputer - Forbes