Quantum Unbreakable Breakthrough: 'Perfect Randomness' Could Revolutionize Data Encryption

The problem with most existing encryption methods is that since they are bound to machines reliant on binary code composed of 1s and 0s, and apparently-random sequences of numbers are not fully random. This reality makes a looming scenario of quantum computing "Q-Day" for compromising at least current encryption technologies inevitable. But what if computers could produce true, perfect randomness for the purpose of encryption, thereby mitigating this limitation and preventing a veritable encryption apocalypse? Per Phys.org and a team of researchers at ETH Zurich, a method to do just that has seemingly been found. It's called "randomness amplification", and involves extracting perfectly random numbers from the imperfect randomness we call RNG (random number generation) today.


The method is difficult to leverage, though. The ETH Zurich researchers who found it, including Andreas Wallraf and Renato Renner, were required to use two superconducting chips, each representing a single "qubit" (quantum bit) that can represent "0", "1", or any arbitrary superposition of the states. The two chips, connected by a 30 meter tube have to be cooled down to near absolute zero, and by beaming photons between the two at the 30 meter distance, no information can be traded between qubits. This, combined with a special algorithm, creates the "perfect randomness".

Per Phys.org, this work could also serve a similar role for encryption, that atomic clocks do for keeping time. By having a physically-certified source of perfect randomness, other systems can rely on it to create airtight quantum-secure encryption for highly-sensitive data. While that still leaves most existing encryption algorithms vulnerable to quantum computers (and other encryption-breaking methods,) it bodes well for the future.

Image Credit: ETH Zurich (content image), u_93i7bq5bis on Pixabay (header)