"The quantum PC will end the network protection of the Earth"

The Spanish physicist José Ignacio Latorre, leading a team of 65 professionals, has developed the first quantum computer in the Arab world at the 'Technology Innovation Institute' in Abu Dhabi

The Spanish physicist José Ignacio Latorre , a native of Barcelona, ​​has developed in Abu Dhabi what is the first quantum computer in the Arab world . His commitment has been great: he left his chair in Spain to start working at the 'Technology Innovation Institute (TII) ' (Institute of Technological Innovation) of the Emirati capital, specifically, at the 'Quantum Research Center' (Center for Quantum Research ) where, together with a team of 65 people, he deals with a substantial part of the current quantum technology project.

In Masdar City , Latorre and his team are not only in the race to create what will be the weapon "that will break all current cybersecurity on Earth" but are also developing other lines of research that revolve around the ability that human beings have recently managed to “control matter” , according to what he stated in an interview with EL CORREO DEL GOLFO.

"We have the ability to control an individual atom, an individual electron, an individual photon and this gives rise to many opportunities," he points out.

For example, in one of the research areas of the 'Quantum Research Center' they are dedicating themselves to "levitating particles" with the aim of creating the most advanced sensors on the planet and they already have a clean room to create chips .

 

 

 

 

investment in science

The Spanish physicist, who has been an advisor to the 'Quantum Spain' program of the Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence area of ​​the State, points out that the correlation between the per capita income of a country and investment in science is absolute.

“We are dominated by social networks and where do they come from? From the west coast of the United States , from the core formed by Stanford , from the group of 10 elite universities in that area.” “If we look at the number of startups from the Earth, a third are generated in California , ”he says.

Latorre maintains that in the UAE there is "correct financing and an agile administration", which he describes as "a great advantage". On the other hand, he assures that in Europe "the administration is much more bureaucratized and the resources are much less". Consequence: that the Emirates "take advantage of this situation to go much faster."

For instance, he states that "in Spain the situation is quite different from that of the United Arab Emirates ". As he points out, Spain, with more than 100 universities, is dedicated to “exporting talent instead of goods”.

And this -he points out- can cause that "suddenly one day there are no chips on Earth and since you don't make them you find yourself at the expense of what the United States says." "It is the brutal mistake of not understanding that you cannot depend technologically on third countries," she stresses.

What is the quantum computer for?

"The quantum computer has two great applications: to end the cybersecurity of the Earth and the rest." In this sense it is strong. 

According to Latorre, what makes it certain that someone can connect to their bank account through the Internet is that the mathematical operation behind this key exchange, this communication, is a "hard problem, so difficult that not even the best computer the Earth during the age of the Universe can break”.

And this is where the quantum computer appears , which "is the promise of ending" the security of that communication, of the current cryptographic system , that is why there is a "runaway race between Asia, the United States and Europe to have that technology, of the formula and, obviously, whoever gets it is not going to share it with anyone”

"It's a great threat," says the physicist. “Nobody makes a quantum computer for its applications in medicine, in quantum chemistry or in finance, they do it because the security of their country is at stake”, he points out.

Today, the physicist Latorre predicts that, when the time comes, there will only be a few quantum computing centers in each country. In this sense, he maintains that "the technology should change a lot" so that each person has a quantum computer in his house.

"To protect quantum properties we need to go to very low temperatures and it is a very sophisticated technology that we have not yet managed to trivialize," he says.

However, you never know. Latorre recounts a very famous anecdote that tells that the president of IBM, "in the catapun years", said that "on Earth there was only room for four computers". And now it turns out that "we all have a super computer in our pocket".

Bitcoin does not marry environmentalism

According to calculations, the arrival of the quantum computer "will affect the world of cryptocurrencies ."

"If with a traditional computer you need a million seconds to perform the mathematical operation behind the generation of a bitcoin , the quantum computer will need a thousand seconds, but we did not get a great leap forward," he points out.

In Latorre's opinion, the world of cryptocurrencies "will evolve and look for another stress test". "There is a reason for this and that is that today too much energy is spent; we are in an era where the majority is an environmentalist and has bitcoins , that cannot be; the bitcoin generation was spending until recently the seven percent of energy that the Earth produces , it does not make any sense, ”he reveals below. 

The 'Technology Innovation Institute' in Abu Dhabi receives visits from governments and embassies and is open to international collaborations. In fact, it is already working with other countries and has students and workers of more than 20 nationalities.

Like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for America or the Federal Polytechnic School (ETH) in Zurich for Europe, the 'Technology Innovation Institute' in the Emirati capital is destined to be "the place of science" in the Arab world