The word quantum has become so ingrained in our society as a way to describe anything too advanced for us laymen to comprehend. This is partly thanks to modern media, where it has often become a buzzword to describe anything science-related that is too complicated to understand. However, quantum science is a very real field of science and has very real-world applications, one of which is the study of quantum computing. Many large tech companies have already joined the wave of interest in this new field of quantum computing, and rightfully so.

Any company that builds the first successful quantum computer will be cemented in history as singlehandedly creating the most powerful machine in all of human history. Although the logistics of quantum computing remain somewhat theoretical, substantial steps have been taken in transforming the idea of a quantum computer into a real engineered masterpiece. IBM leads the charge, as Jay Gambetta, Director and IBM Fellow of Before considering the concerns quantum computing poses for global security, it is important to first understand how it works. In a nutshell, rather than operating in bits-a series of 1s and 0s that lay the foundation of traditional computers-quantum computing works with qubits, where instead of being a 1 or 0, they can simultaneously be both via superposition. The upside of working with qubits is that algorithms and processes that would normally take a significant amount of time for traditional computers-such as decrypting global encryption keys-could be done in a matter of moments. Quantum computing can solve complex problems and algorithms exponentially faster than traditional computers. The reason this poses such an issue in global security is that it allows for our encryption to be decoded strikingly fast. The way our information, including government data, travels across the world through the internet is by being encrypted. Of course, this is oversimplified, but to get the gist, everything sent across the internet is encrypted.

However, what quantum computing allows is for this encryption-which was previously not under serious threat because traditional computers are too slow-to be decrypted due to the exponential power of quantum computing. However, it is not all bleak. At present, we have the advantage that quantum computing is still in development and not yet fully realized. The United States government has already enacted measures to protect individual security in anticipation of quantum computing capabilities. For example, in 2025, the Quantum Encryption Readiness and Resilience Act was introduced to help maintain cybersecurity and mitigate quantum computing threats.

Quantum computing is making leaps and bounds in its advancements every year, and these developments show no signs of slowing down. It will mark a new age in global security, internet infrastructure, and data encryption, making it important to recognize the impact it may have on our world. Now, is it all bad? Heavens no. The introduction of quantum computing will benefit the optimization of AI systems, accelerate drug discovery, serve as a resource for groundbreaking medical research, and much more. However, it is crucial to understand the risks of such a powerful tool, as its influence draws closer day by day.

<Aiden Choi 학생기자 서니힐스 고교 11학년>