BAD HARDWARE WEEK

According to documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the effort to build “a cryptologically useful quantum computer” — a machine exponentially faster than classical computers — is part of a $79.7 million research program titled “Penetrating Hard Targets.” Much of the work is hosted under classified contracts at a laboratory in College Park, Md.

An interdisciplinary team of UW-Madison physicists, engineers and materials scientists has now designed a scalable, multilayer semiconductor device that can be used to build a quantum computer. Fabricated by growing layers of semiconductors and patterning electrostatic gates on the surface, this quantum dot device traps individual electrons in a solid, brings the electrons close to each other, maintains the electrons’ phase coherence and allows manipulation of the electrons’ individual spin states.

With such technology, all current forms of public key encryption would be broken, including those used on many secure Web sites as well as the type used to protect state secrets.  


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99% BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Please note 270M pounds heavy quantum computer project by British government. That makes us assured on question: Can We Build a Large-Scale Quantum Computer Using Semiconductor Materials? However, not because it is easy but because it is hard. Quantum computer is actually atomic computer, made of  precisely arranged artificial atoms.

The goal is :  TS//SI//REL TO USA, FVEY) DEMOnstrate dynamical decoupling and complete quantum control on two semiconductor qubits. A qubit is the basic “building block” of a quantum computer. This will enable initial scaling towards large systems in related and follow-on efforts. (S//SI//REL) Much of the research in quantum computing is still very basic and is most effectively pursued in NSA-funded open research programs. These programs play a critical role as the major source of new ideas and for training future researchers in the field. However, NSA is pursuing more than just basic, unclassified research. NSA is also attempting to preserve the SIGINT potential of quantum computing.