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How Internet of Things Security Is Impacting Retailers – Loss Prevention Magazine

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

Internet of Things (IoT) security is a growing concern for retailers. IoT is one of the biggest trends in the market today, said Itzik Feiglevitch, product manager for Check Point Software Technologies at the RSA Conference in May 2021. Huge numbers of devices are expected to be added in the coming years to company networks.

And while Feiglevitch said theyre greatthey increase operational efficiency and move companies into the digital worlda retailer also needs to take into consideration that all of those IoT devices are now part of our networks, and they bring with them lots of security risks.

According to Check Points research, a typical enterprise of 5,000 employees could have as many as 20,000 IoT devices. I know it seems like a huge number, but think of all the IP TVs, printers, surveillance cameras, or the sensors inside the buildings, the smart elevators, smart lightingeverything is connected to the enterprise network.

IoT sensors are increasingly being used in retail to enhance the customer experience, such as with smart mirrors and digital signage; for insight into customer preferences and behavior; and for loyalty and promotionusing sensors to identify the time and place of the customer to better target assistance or incentives. Connected sensors are being used for managing energy and detecting equipment problems, especially in grocery, and in warehouses and stores to optimize supply and fulfillment, as with RFID and smart shelves.

The global internet of things in retail was valued at $31.99 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2021 to 2028, according to market analysis by Grand View Research. IoT is expected to revamp the retail industry, transforming traditional brick and mortar shops into advanced digital stores, according to the report.

The surge in the number of interconnected devices in retail outlets and the decreasing prices of IoT sensors are expected to propel the growth. Retailers commitment to IoT innovation is contributing to the growth of connected devices, including both RFID tags and beacons and the proliferation of smartphones and the use of mobile applications are driving the retail software segment growth.

Problematically, many IoT devices are unmanaged. They are connected to our network, but we dont have any way to control those devices, to view them, and define what those devices can and cannot do inside our network, said Feiglevitch. If we go and search for those devices inside our security management system, we will not find those devices.

Most company-connected IoT devices are, in turn, connected to the wider internetto allow vendors to deliver updates, for example. Attackers, using standard scanning tools, can find those devices. They know what to look for, said Feiglevitch, noting that there are even search tools to help thema Google for IoT hackers, he said. A casual Shodan search will turn up nearly 300,000 surveillance cameras connected to the internet.

Once found, connecting to those devices, and hacking into them, tends to be quite easy, Feiglevitch warned. They often have no built-in Internet of Things security, run on legacy operating systems, have weak default passwords, and are difficult to patch. Many dont have basic security capabilities, he said. When many of those devices were developed, no one thought about that.

By accessing a device, hackers can manipulate itto view a camera, for exampleor use it, for crypto mining or as a bot for a botnet attack. It also can provide hackers a backdoor into the network because of an insecure connection. Users may not have the right knowledge about how to connect those devices, said Feiglevitch. Theyre using the wrong protocols and insecure applications, so through those devices, hackers can get into the network.

In exploitation tests, researchers have found it possible to create untold havoc, from taking over entire smart building systems to tricking medical devices to deliver incorrect doses of medicine, and while vendors typically issue patches, Feiglevitch says those often dont get implemented. Legacy, insecure devices are ubiquitous, he warned.

There are four pillars to address the risks that IoT devices pose to an organizations network, according to Justin Sowder, a security architect for Check Point.

In terms of solution design, Sowder advised that it should consist of three things: an IoT discovery engine; a solution that extracts information and ties it to security protocols; and a security gateway that enforces the security policies.

This flow should be completely automated: from a new device being connected or an existing device being discovered, to this Internet of Things security management that will extrapolate relevant data and tags to your security policies, and then down to an enforcement point, he said. It should be invisible to users, but discovery, protection, and enforcement in the security realm should nonetheless be happening, he said.

An automated solution is preferable, he believes, to a slower, more heavy-handed cyber security approach in which all new devices are assigned a ticket and vetted and managed. That only encourages shadow IT, he warned.

The need for retailers to have a robust process for gaining control over IoT devices is only growing, as IoT devices proliferate and there is increasing reliance on field devices that communicate back to network data centers. That the infrastructure used to enable IoT devices is beyond the control of both the user and the IT department underscores that risk.

Research indicates that some organizations fail to define exactly who are the leaders in charge of assessing and mitigating risk. Experts suggests that retail organizations may want to consider appointing a Chief IoT Officer since many projects lie outside of the domain of a CIO and IT department.

IoT isnt an IT project. Its a business project that uses IT, noted one panelist at an IoT session at a LiveWorx tech conference. Another agreed, saying that IT security professionals should be prepared to share Internet of Things security responsibility with other divisions across the enterprise, including physical security teams.

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College Park’s IonQ and the University of Maryland are teaming up to open a $20M quantum lab – Technical.ly DC

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

This fall, the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) and College Park quantum computing company IonQ are partnering up to open the National Quantum Lab (Q-Lab), specializing in research of the technology.

Decked out with a commercial grade quantum computer and hardware from IonQ, UMD Chief Strategy Officer Ken Ulman said it will be a space for students and staff to explore solutions using quantum technology. The lab, which is being created with a $20 million investment from the school, is part of UMDs larger expansion of quantum resources at a time when scientists are moving to take the technology from the lab to commercial companies. So far, UMD has invested $300 million in quantum science, and has been working in the field on its campus for over 30 years.

Ulman told Technical.ly that UMD decided to pursue a national lab because it became apparent that quantum computing has the potential to help solve many of the worlds challenges, while also brining innovation to the local area.

We think theres an opportunity here to create, Ulman said. And we think that the Silicon Valley of X is totally overplayed and overused, but this may be one of the few times that its appropriate.

The lab, which will be located in the universitys innovation-centered development known as the Discovery District, will open next to IonQs headquarters. It will give students a chance to directly interact with IonQ employees. IonQ will also be assisting with staffing and program development within the lab, and it will serve as a collaborative workspace for students and staff.

The news coincides with IonQs move to go public, which is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks. The company, which started at a UMD lab, is said to be valued at approximately $2 billion following the IPO.

We are very proud that the nations leading center of academic excellence in quantum research chose IonQs hardware for this trailblazing partnership, said Peter Chapman, president and CEO of IonQ, in a statement. UMD has been at the vanguard of this field since quantum computing was in its infancy, and has been a true partner to IonQ as we step out of the lab and into commerce, industry, and the public markets.

Its location in the Discovery District, Ulman said, is also very intentional, because the investment in quantum is not happening in a vacuum, and it comes alongside a host of investment in the tech in and out of UMD. He hopes that the new center will help bring more innovation and investment to the area, especially given the potential reach of quantum technology. In addition to cybersecurity, he foresees applications in climate change solutions and rapid vaccine deployment, among other uses.

We believe that creating a hands-on quantum user facility that can bring those talented people from around the world to come to the University of Marylandand collaborate with the men and women at IonQ, we think its a really important step to creating the ecosystem, Ulman said.

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Where the laws of matter break down, a quantum discovery crops up – UPJ Athletics

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

For decades, scientistshave been fascinated by superfluids materials under extreme conditions where the typical laws of matter break down and friction disappears entirely.

University of Pittsburgh Professor of Physics and Astronomy Vincent Liu and an international team of collaborators report the creation of a stable material that achieves long-sought-after and strange quantum properties. This topological superfluid could find use in a variety of futuristic technologies and in the meantime will provide plenty of new questions for physicists to chew on.

Its a fundamental concept that might have a very huge impact to society in its application, Liu said.

In his field of artificial materials, theres a close interplay between two kinds of physicists: Those like Liu who specialize in theory use math and physics to imagine yet-undiscovered phenomena that could be useful for futuristic technologies, and otherswhodesign experiments that use contained, simplified systems of particles to try to create materials that act in the ways theorists predicted. Its the feedback between these two groups that pushes the field forward.

Liu and his collaborators, a team composed of both theorists and experimentalists, have been pursuing a material that holds the useful properties of a superfluid regardless of shape and is also stable in the lab, a combination that has eluded researchers for years. The solution they arrived at was shining lasers in a honeycomb pattern on atoms. The way those lasers combine and cancel each other out in repeating patterns can coerce the atoms into interacting with one another in strange ways. The team published their results in Nature on Aug. 11.

To say that the experiment sits on a technical knife edge would be an understatement. It requires that atoms be kept at a temperature of around one ten-millionth of a degree above absolute zero. Its among the coolest systems on Earth, Liu said. All the while, the heat delivered by lasers makes it even more challenging to keep it cool.

Even the act of cooling the material creates its own wrinkles. The teams main trick was to use evaporation, meaning the warmest atoms fly off, but achieving a material with the right density means there also needs to be plenty of atoms remaining after evaporation. Combining just the right set of conditions is a stunning technical feat, pioneered in the lab of Lius collaborator and former postdoc Zhi-Fang Xu, a physicist at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China. Another collaborator, quantum optics expert Andreas Hemmerich at the University of Hamburg in Germany, helped design the lattice of lasers that holds the atoms in place.

For the international team of physicists, that balancing act is worth it. The resulting material, the teams calculations show, is the much-sought-after topological superfluid needed to create next-generation quantum computers. But because Lius team used atoms to produce these quantum effects rather than using lighter particles like electrons orphotons, any quantum computer made from the material would be impractically slow. Instead, Liu said, it will likely be most useful for studying the finer points of how that technology might work.

Its like youre watching an NBA player in slow motion. Youre going to see all of the motion, all of the subtle physics, in a very clear way, he explained.

That more fine-tuned understanding could help researchers design quantum computers that could handle fast calculations. And the materials stability compared to other quantum materials could lend itself to other uses, like hyper-precise timekeeping and information storage.

As exciting as the discovery is, it represents only one line of Lius work as a theorist, he works with physicists across the globe to push the boundaries of different kinds of quantum materials. Besides the thrill of discovery and the mathematical beauty of the physics, Liu says its those collaborations that keep him excited about the field.

You could say the community moves as a whole, he said. If I just walked by myself, I probably wouldnt move very far.

Patrick Monahan

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For The First Time, Scientists Have Entangled Three Qubits on Silicon – ScienceAlert

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

While quantum computers arealready here, they're very much limited prototypes for now.

It's going to take a while before they're fulfilling anything close to their maximum potential, and we can use them the way we do regular (classical) computers. That moment is now a little nearer though, as scientists have got three entangledqubitsoperating together on a single piece of silicon.

It's the first time that's ever been done, and the silicon material is important: that's what the electronics inside today's computers are based on, so it's another advancement in bridging the gap between the quantum and classical computing realms.

Qubits are the quantum equivalent of the standard bits inside a conventional computer: they can represent several states at once, not just a 1 or a 0, which in theory means an exponential increase in computing power.

The real magic happens when these qubits are entangled, or tightly linked together.

As well as increases in computing power, the addition of more qubits means better error correction a key part of keeping quantum computers stable enough to use them outside of research laboratories.

"Two-qubit operation is good enough to perform fundamental logical calculations," says quantum physicist Seigo Tarucha, from the Riken research institute in Japan.

"But a three-qubit system is the minimum unit for scaling up and implementing error correction."

Using silicon dots as the basis of their qubits means a high level of stability and control can be applied to them, the researchers say. Silicon also makes it more practical to scale these systems up, which is something the team is keen to do in the future.

The process involved entangling two qubits to begin with, in what's known as a two-qubit gate a standard building block of quantum computers. That gate was then combined with a third qubit with an impressively high fidelity of 88 percent (a measure of how reliable the system is).

Each of the quantum silicon dots holds a single electron, with its spin-up and spin-down states doing the encoding. The setup also included an integrated magnet, enabling each qubit to be controlled separately using a magnetic field.

On its own, this isn't going to suddenly put a quantum computer on our desks the setup still required ultra-cold temperatures to operate, for example but together with the other advancements we're seeing, it's undoubtedly a solid step forward.

What's more, the researchers think there's plenty more to come from quantum silicon dots linking together more and more qubits in the same circuit. Full-scale quantum computers could be closer than we think.

"We plan to demonstrate primitive error correction using the three-qubit device and to fabricate devices with ten or more qubits," says Tarucha.

"We then plan to develop 50 to 100 qubits and implement more sophisticated error-correction protocols, paving the way to a large-scale quantum computer within a decade."

The research has been published in Nature Nanotechnology.

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Atomically-Thin, Twisted Graphene Has Unique Properties That Could Advance Quantum Computing – SciTechDaily

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

New collaborative research describes how electrons move through two different configurations of bilayer graphene, the atomically-thin form of carbon. These results provide insights that researchers could use to design more powerful and secure quantum computing platforms in the future.

Researchers describe how electrons move through two-dimensional layered graphene, findings that could lead to advances in the design of future quantum computing platforms.

New research published in Physical Review Letters describes how electrons move through two different configurations of bilayer graphene, the atomically-thin form of carbon. This study, the result of a collaboration between Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University, and Columbia University, provides insights that researchers could use to design more powerful and secure quantum computing platforms in the future.

Todays computer chips are based on our knowledge of how electrons move in semiconductors, specifically silicon, says first and co-corresponding author Zhongwei Dai, a postdoc at Brookhaven. But the physical properties of silicon are reaching a physical limit in terms of how small transistors can be made and how many can fit on a chip. If we can understand how electrons move at the small scale of a few nanometers in the reduced dimensions of 2-D materials, we may be able to unlock another way to utilize electrons for quantum information science.

When a material is designed at these small scales, to the size of a few nanometers, it confines the electrons to a space with dimensions that are the same as its own wavelength, causing the materials overall electronic and optical properties to change in a process called quantum confinement. In this study, the researchers used graphene to study these confinement effects in both electrons and photons, or particles of light.

The work relied upon two advances developed independently at Penn and Brookhaven. Researchers at Penn, including Zhaoli Gao, a former postdoc in the lab of Charlie Johnson who is now at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, used a unique gradient-alloy growth substrate to grow graphene with three different domain structures: single layer, Bernal stacked bilayer, and twisted bilayer. The graphene material was then transferred onto a special substrate developed at Brookhaven that allowed the researchers to probe both electronic and optical resonances of the system.

This is a very nice piece of collaborative work, says Johnson. It brings together exceptional capabilities from Brookhaven and Penn that allow us to make important measurements and discoveries that none of us could do on our own.

The researchers were able to detect both electronic and optical interlayer resonances and found that, in these resonant states, electrons move back and forth at the 2D interface at the same frequency. Their results also suggest that the distance between the two layers increases significantly in the twisted configuration, which influences how electrons move because of interlayer interactions. They also found that twisting one of the graphene layers by 30 also shifts the resonance to a lower energy.

Devices made out of rotated graphene may have very interesting and unexpected properties because of the increased interlayer spacing in which electrons can move, says co-corresponding author Jurek Sadowski from Brookhaven.

In the future, the researchers will fabricate new devices using twisted graphene while also building off the findings from this study to see how adding different materials to the layered graphene structure impacts downstream electronic and optical properties.

We look forward to continuing to work with our Brookhaven colleagues at the forefront of applications of two-dimensional materials in quantum science, Johnson says.

Reference: Quantum-Well Bound States in Graphene Heterostructure Interfaces by Zhongwei Dai, Zhaoli Gao, Sergey S. Pershoguba, Nikhil Tiwale, Ashwanth Subramanian, Qicheng Zhang, Calley Eads, Samuel A. Tenney, Richard M. Osgood, Chang-Yong Nam, Jiadong Zang, A.T. Charlie Johnson and Jerzy T. Sadowski, 20 August 2021, Physical Review Letters.DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.086805

The complete list of co-authors includes Zhaoli Gao (now at The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Qicheng Zhang, and Charlie Johnson from Penn; Zhongwei Dai, Nikhil Tiwale, Calley Eads, Samuel A. Tenney, Chang-Yong Nam, and Jerzy T. Sadowski from Brookhaven; Sergey S. Pershogub, and Jiadong Zang from the University of New Hampshire; Ashwanth Subramanian from Stony Brook University; and Richard M. Osgood from Columbia University.

Charlie Johnson is the Rebecca W. Bushnell Professor of Physics and Astronomy in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

This research was supported by National Science Foundation grants MRSEC DMR- 1720530 and EAGER 1838412. Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science.

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Research on Quantum Computing in Health Care Market 2021: By Growing Rate, Type, Applications, Geographical Regions, and Forecast to 2026 – Northwest…

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

The business intelligence report on Quantum Computing in Health Care market consists of vital data regarding the growth catalysts, restraints, and other expansion prospects that will influence the market dynamics during 2021-2026. Moreover, it delivers verifiable projections for through a comparative study of the past and present scenario. It claims that the Quantum Computing in Health Care market size is slated to expand with a CAGR of xx% during of the analysis timeline.

Executive summary

The study provides a detailed overview of the market segmentation and offers valuable insights pertaining to revenue prospects, sales, market share of each segment. It further incorporates an in-depth analysis of the competitive hierarchy while highlighting the major market players, as well as the emerging contenders and new entrants.

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.nwdiamondnotes.com/request-sample/10388

Market analysis structure

Product terrain summary

Application spectrum review:

Competitive hierarchy overview:

Regional landscape outline

Research objectives

To study and analyze the global Quantum Computing in Health Care consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, type and application, history data from 2016 to 2020, and forecast to 2026.

To understand the structure of Quantum Computing in Health Care market by identifying its various subsegments.

Focuses on the key global Quantum Computing in Health Care manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

To analyze the Quantum Computing in Health Care with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

To project the consumption of Quantum Computing in Health Care submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.

To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

Request Customization on This Report @ https://www.nwdiamondnotes.com/request-for-customization/10388

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UChicago, Duality Teams to Pitch at 2021 Chicago Venture Summit – Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – Polsky Center for…

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

Published on Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Several teams from the University of Chicago and Duality the worlds first accelerator focused exclusively on quantum technologies are pitching at the 2021 Chicago Venture Summit.

The venture capital conference takes place September 27-29 and brings together leading venture capital investors and innovation ecosystem leaders with founders.

>> Register for the Deep Tech Showcase, here.

Kicking off the conference on Monday, September 27, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Argonnes Chain Reaction Innovations program are hosting the 2021 Deep Tech Showcase as part of the larger event. The virtual showcase is from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. (CST).

UChicago and Duality teams pitching include:

// AddGraft Therapeutics is developing a CRISPR-based therapeutic technology using skin cells to treat addiction. The researchers have developed a therapeutic platform that, through a one-time and first-of-its-kind treatment, will effectively cure someone of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The treatment is long-lasting, highly effective, and minimally invasive.

This is completed by using skin epidermal progenitor cells to deliver one or more therapeutic agents. First, the researchers harvest skin stem cells from an AUD patient and genetically modify them using a precise molecular scissor CRISPR. This process will introduce genes that can produce molecules that will significantly reduce the motivation to take or seek alcohol. Then, they re-implant these skin cells into the original host through a skin graft. After the graft has been re-implanted, the skin graft is able to produce these molecules as a bio engine throughout the lifetime of the graft.

Team members:

// Arrow Immuneis developing next-generation biologics for immuno-oncology in solid tumors. The company is developing protein engineering technology to retain IO molecules in the tumor microenvironment, both to function as monotherapies and to enhance response to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy.

The company has developed a powerful approach to mask these compounds such that they are inactive in the periphery yet are activated within the tumor, to limit immune-related adverse events and open the therapeutic window.

Team members:

// Axion Technologies is a Tallahassee, FL-based company, developing a quantum random number generator for high-performance computing systems. Its design enables embedding of unique digital signatures for hardware authentication. The company has received a NSF SBIR award.

Team members:

// Esya Labs mission is the early, precise, and cost-effective detection of neurodegenerative diseases. Its first-in-class product for Alzheimers Diseasewill provide a 360-degree perspective enabling early diagnosis, a personalized treatment plan based on ranked drug effectiveness for any given patient, and monitoring disease progression.

The platform uses synthetic DNA strands that have been engineered to function in a specific way. These so-called DNA nanodevices are used to measure lysosomes performance by creating chemical maps of their activity a process that had previously not been possible. The company in

Team members:

// Nanopattern Technologies is commercializing a quantum dot ink that enables the manufacturing of the next generation of energy-efficient, bright, and fast refresh rate displays and recently received a $1 million NSF SBIR grant.

In addition to displays, NanoPatterns patented technology is capable of patterning oxide nanoparticles for optics applications and Near Infrared (NIR) quantum dots for multispectral sensor applications.

Team members:

// qBraid is developing a cloud-based platform for managed access to other quantum computing software and hardware. The platform includes qBraid Learn and qBraid Lab. qBraid Learn is ready to host any courses developed by the quantum computing ecosystem, but the team has also developed their own educational content. qBraid provides a streamlined experience for first-time learners through its QuBes (quantum beginners) course. Hosted on the qBraid-learn platform, QuBes brings students up to speed on all the background knowledge (mathematics, coding, and physics) necessary to then introduce quantum computing.

qBraid-Lab provides a cloud-based integrated development environment (IDE) for quantum software developers. Unlike other in-browser development platforms, qBraids ecosystem specifically optimizes for quantum computing by providing development environments with all common quantum computing packages pre-installed.

The platform is being used by more than 2500 users from top universities, financial institutions, and various national labs. qBraid has also announced recent collaborations with various government agencies (Quantum Algorithms Institute in British Columbia, the Chicago Quantum Exchange, and the QuSteam) in the US and Canada.

Team members:

// Quantopticon, based in the UK, develops software for simulating quantum-photonic devices. The software has applications chiefly in the budding fields of quantum computing and ultra-secure quantum communications.

Quantopticon specializes in modelling quantum systems of the solid-state type, which are commonly embedded in cavity structures in order to control and enhance specific optical transitions.Its software for modelling interactions of light with matter is underpinned by an original and proprietary general methodology developed by the team from first principles.

The purpose of their software is ultimately to save quantum-optical designers time and money, by eliminating the need to carry out repeated experiments to test and optimize physical prototypes.

Team members:

// Super.tech is developing software that accelerates quantum computing applications by optimizing across the system stack from algorithms to control pulses. The company in August announced the launch of a software platform endeavoring to make quantum computing commercially viable years sooner than otherwise possible.

The platform, calledSuperstaQ, connects applications to quantum computers from IBM Quantum, IonQ, and Rigetti, and optimizes software across the system stack to boost the performance of the underlying quantum computers.

Team members:

Of the teams presenting, Axion, qBraid, Quantopticon, and Super.tech were selected from a competitive pool of applicants from all over the globe and vetted by an internal review process to participate in Cohort 1 of Duality.

Launched in April 2021,Duality is the first-of-its-kind accelerator aimed at supporting next-generation startups focused on quantum science and technology. The 12-month program provides world-class business and entrepreneurship training from theUniversity of Chicago Booth School of Business, Polsky Center, and the opportunity to engage the networks, facilities, and programming from the Chicago Quantum Exchange, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and P33.

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View: Its the Spacetime to Quantum – Economic Times

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

In July, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) announced it would deploy quantum computers (QCs) to power its search for fundamental particles. Unlike a decade ago, QCs are no more tentative prototypes, but fast emerging as a viable tool for niche practical applications ranging from designing novel materials to enabling drug discovery.

QCs are now available as a cloud-based service to anyone with an internet connection. We will see the unveiling of more powerful QCs over the next five years. How prepared is India to ride the quantum technology wave?

Introduced as an idea by Nobel-winning physicist Richard Feynman in the early 1980s, QCs are not merely faster versions of the computers we use but are machines based on the laws of quantum physics. A typical QC hardware computes by manipulating electrons and nuclei using electromagnetic radiation from lasers. The technology is complex as precise control over these delicate manipulation schemes is necessary to perform calculations. If this technology can be mastered, QCs promise, at least for a certain class of problems, unprecedented computational speeds not attainable even by the fastest supercomputers available today.

Barring a few premier institutions, quantum computing is not yet part of the curriculum in most Indian universities and colleges. This issue must be addressed through a programme to skill faculty, enabling them to teach engineering and science undergraduates. By 2024, Indias software developer community is expected to be the largest in the world. By training this community, India can create a quantum workforce for itself and the world.

GoI and the industry must support interdisciplinary research and development in quantum science and technologies. As part of the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NM-QTA), the 2020 budget had committed 8,000 crore. Also, a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) for quantum technologies has been set up at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, focused on translating research into products and services. These investments must increase. At present, private investments are lacking. Industry and PSUs must be incentivised to evaluate and work on applications relevant to their domain.

Quantum technologies include a whole gamut of interrelated technologies quantum cryptography, quantum sensors, quantum materials, quantum meteorology, etc. Products based on quantum cryptography for secure communications are already available in the market. However, unambiguous evidence of societal benefits of QCs is still lacking. Demonstrating a few showcase applications is critical to persuade industry to invest in quantum technologies. These applications could be in drug discovery, logistics and optimisation, new materials, fintech, machine learning and defence. This will have a cascading effect of seeding a vibrant quantum startup ecosystem leading to job-creation and economic growth.

India must build its own competitively sized QC in mission mode by pooling its existing academic expertise. A few indigenous QCs will give India a voice in shaping the future of quantum computing. With the right policy framework and incentives, India has the potential to become a key player in a global quantum technology market anticipated to reach $31.57 billion (2.32 lakh crore) by 2026. This will generate more technical jobs in the coming decades. India must move fast to respond to the fast-evolving quantum landscape.

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Ark Invest to split ‘60% Bitcoin, 40% Ether’ as confidence in ETH grows ‘dramatically’ – Cointelegraph

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

Cathie Wood, the CEO of Ark Investment, has doubled down on her prediction that the price of Bitcoin will grow by tenfold in the next five years, and said the growth of DeFi, NFTs and the Eth2 upgrade has massively increased Arks confidence in Ethers future.

Woods prediction would value Bitcoin at almost $500,000 by 2026. She said that Ark Investments future exposure to crypto was likely to be around 60% Bitcoin and 40% Ethereum.

Wood made the comments Monday, during a live stream at the SALT Conference in New York.

Her BTC price thesis is based on more companies adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets and institutional investors allocating around 5% of their portfolios towards Bitcoin or other cryptos.

In her view, Bitcoin still remains the default currency of the crypto space with El Salvador deeming it legal tender and other countries of Central America signalling they may follow soon.

But she said Ethereum is becoming more and more attractive as an investment thanks to the explosion in developer activity related to NFTs and DeFi.

I'm fascinated with what's going on in DeFi, which is collapsing the cost of the infrastructure for financial services in a way that I know that the traditional financial industry does not appreciate right now," she said.

Ark Investment manages several actively exchange-traded funds with a focus on disruptive innovation. It has significant investments in Coinbase and shares in the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, Wood has spoken frequently about her enthusiasm for Bitcoin.

Related: Bitcoin bull run sparks $180K BTC price prediction ahead of institutional fireworks

Wood said that from past experience she believed no regulator, including new SEC chair Gary Gensler, would want to be blamed for preventing the next big tech breakthrough.

Wood believes the SECs threats to pursue legal action against Coinbase regarding the launch of a stablecoin yield product highlights that the crypto ecosystem is developing faster than the regulators have been able keep up with.

In her view, Coinbase shouldnt be especially worried. Wood highlighted how in October 2019 Canada's largest Bitcoin and digital asset fund manager received a favorable ruling from the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) to offer a publicly-traded Bitcoin fund.

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Remittances to El Salvador are cheaper without using bitcoin – Quartz

September 15, 2021 | Author: admin

El Salvador president Nayib Bukele says the country will save $400 million a year in remittance fees by adopting bitcoin. That claim doesnt necessarily stack up.

A quick recap: The Central American country rolled out its bitcoin wallet app, called Chivo, on Sept. 7. Businesses are now obliged to accept the crypto token and the US greenback, which was already a national currency, for payments. Bukele seeded the wallets using taxpayer money with $30 worth of bitcoin to get things rolling. The president ishoping to attract a new generation of crypto entrepreneurs and to cut the expense of remittances, which are estimated to make up around 20% of gross domestic product.

Unfortunately for Salvadorans, there may not be a cost or time savings for remittances using bitcoin versus PayPal (via its Xoom offering) or Western Union, according to Jason Mikula, a fintech consultant. Mikula crunched the numbers for sending $200 from the US to El Salvador; his analysis assumes the sender is starting out in US dollars and traded them for bitcoin using Coinbase, the largest US crypto exchange. (He notes that some crypto proponents assume the transaction starts out in bitcoin, which he suggests is unreasonable as most people hold their funds in fiat currencies.)

Exchanging $200 for bitcoin costs between $2.99 to $7.67 at Coinbase, depending on whether the transaction is funded using PayPal, ACH, or debit, Mikula says. The exchange may charge an additional spread for the transaction (the gap between the bid and offer prices for bitcoin on its exchange). Theres also a network fee (paid to the crypto miners who process transactions on a blockchain) to send bitcoin from Coinbase to a Chivo wallet in El Salvador, which runs around $3. El Salvadors bitcoin wallet lets users switch between the US currency and bitcoin at no cost.

By contrast, a person can send $200 from the US to El Salvador using Western Unions mobile wallet, called Tigo, at no cost and in minutes, according to the companys website. Mikula speculates that Western Union may be willing to eat the transaction costs (debit/credit interchange) because fewer remittances are sent this way. Western Union charges a hefty fee for transactions using physical cash: it costs $9 to $18 to send $200 in cash from the US to El Salvador. This is probably a popular way of sending money, as around 70% of the people there dont have a bank account.

Bukele is correct about at least one thing: Remittances are a critical lifeline for millions of people in El Salvador. Around 18% of households receive them, taking in an average of about $195 per month, according to a report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise. They found that remittance costs there absorb about 2.95% of transactions, the lowest level of any nation in the Latin American-Caribbean region.

And they, too, found that sending remittances using bitcoins blockchain rails is more expensive than the systems already in place. Their analysis is partly based on the assumption that people in El Salvador want paper greenbacks, not bitcoin, and will have to pay up a crypto ATM to withdraw the hard currency. (They note that the coastal town of El Zonte, El Salvador, made bitcoin a local currency in 2019, but it didnt catch on.) At present, traditional transfer methods are the cheapest way to make remittance payments, they wrote.

Bukeles controversial bitcoin gamble has a number of serious risks for El Salvador, including the potential to undermine financial stability. That said, there could be some upside if the Chivo wallet succeeds in making digital payments and mobile wallets into the hands of the countrys vast majority that is unbanked. That infrastructure actually could reduce remittance costswithout using bitcoin.

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Remittances to El Salvador are cheaper without using bitcoin - Quartz

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