Many in the quantum community consider Richard Feynman the father of the quantum computing revolution. He was the first to formally articulate the idea that simulating quantum systems efficiently would require a computer built on quantum mechanical principles. In a 1981 lecture “Simulating Physics with Computers,” he explained that classical computers struggle to simulate quantum phenomena due to exponential complexity and suggested that quantum computers, machines operating under quantum laws, could solve this inefficiency.
Since then research at great American academic institutions began in earnest. Just over a decade later, in 1994, mathematician Peter Shor developed an algorithm informed by both his knowledge of mathematics and an understanding of the potential capabilities of a quantum computer. It was a breakthrough that demonstrated that quantum computers could dramatically change how large integers are factored, something infeasible for classical computers. The implications were immediately recognized by encryption experts. It meant a quantum computer that could run Shor’s algorithm could break all currently used forms of encryption.
These two developments, the rise of quantum computers and the potential for them to break asymmetric encryption have both been extensively examined in OODA Loop research and reporting (see: The Executive’s Guide To Quantum Computing: What you need to know for your strategy today and Executive’s Guide To Quantum Safe Security: Take these steps to make your enterprise quantum proof). Quantum topics, including quantum computing, security and sensing, have also been frequent topics of our OODAcons through the years, as has government policy and solutions to meet the needs to protect data from the coming quantum threat.
Now at OODAcon 2025 we have a unique opportunity for an update on quantum. Experts with deep first-hand knowledge of policy and technology are engaging with us in multiple sessions. It will be one of the subjects addressed in a conversation with the President’s Cyber Advisor and in sessions on accelerating tech and defense tech. We also have a focused session featuring a fireside chat with Mark Carney, a renowned hacker and co-founder of the Quantum Village. OODA has engaged with the quantum village since their founding and have found it to be the greatest source of reality when it comes to sorting the signal from the noise on all things quantum. We really look forward to introducing the OODA Network to Mark and the Quantum Village.
The following is a reference designed to help you make the most of discussions on quantum, both at OODAcon and beyond:
- What is quantum computing? It is the leveraging of quantum effects to solve problems that cannot be solved by traditional computing. Today’s computers are built on circuits of transistors that can calculate on the simplest of math. Information is processed using addition and subtraction and memory of 1’s and 0’s. This state of information, the 0 or 1, is called a bit. 8 of those is a byte. With quantum computing, the quantum mechanical properties of single atoms, sub atomic particles and superconducting electrical circuits are used to calculate over matter that can exist in more than just an on or off state. So a value that is being calculated on can be assumed to hold a value of 0 or 1 or even both! This new type of value is called a qubit.
- What is NISQ? NISQ is an acronym that describes the current era of quantum computing. It stands for Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum computing. This is the the NISQ era. We do not expect many useful functions of NISQ era computers, error rates need to decrease and the number of Qubits need to increase. We are on the path to this but timelines are uncertain.
- Why all the errors? Quantum computers do work, in labs. But every approach tried to date comes with errors. That is to be expected when working on things at this scale. No matter what the approach, qubits are unstable. To be effective, error rates need to be driven down. This requires work on software, control electronics and even processor design.
- What is entanglement? One of the most bizarre theoretical concepts and later observations of quantum theory is entanglement. It is a way that the state of two small particles can stay entangled even when separated and at a distance. The state of one of these particles can depend on the state of another. This ability of two separate objects to share a state is what Einstein colorfully called “spooky action at a distance.” Don’t ask anyone to explain it. But it has been proven to work even from Earth to a satellite in space. The challenges are that these entangled particles are very small and hard to manage, manipulate and measure.
- What is quantum tunneling? At a quantum scale, sometimes particles can appear to move across boundaries. This effect has been known to science for 100 years and is accounted for in modern microelectronics (many devices count on this feature to function). Quantum tunneling is also responsible for the nuclear fusion that powers our sun, so is a very good thing for us! This capability is important to some security devices that use quantum tunneling to generate high entropy encryption keys.
- What Really Works? Most of the info above could have been written in 1981 when Richard Feynman conceptualized the field of simulating physics using computers. But since then research activities by governments, academia and industry have been making advancements in the study of quantum effects for computing and fantastic demonstrations of potential have been made. At the time of this writing, no true quantum computer has been used to solve any real world problem. There have been promising accomplishments in the lab, but error rates in measuring and computing have just been too large to deliver real results.
- How do you program a Quantum Computer? A great deal of research has gone into how quantum computers can fit into today’s architecture. IBM and Microsoft both offer APIs to their approaches to quantum computing (more on those below).
- What is Shor’s Algorithm and Gover’s Algorithm? These are two of the most talked about algorithms in the quantum computing domain because the consensus is that once a quantum computer can use these then almost all asymmetric encryption can be broken. The will enable quantum computers to factor large prime numbers and also invalidate the purpose of cryptographic hashes. This poses a great danger to current approaches to security. This is why NIST embarked on a decades long journey to develop algorithms resistant to quantum attack, and why federal policy has been established mandating its adoption.
For Additional Insights See
Subscribe to OODA Daily Pulse
The OODA Daily Pulse Report provides a detailed summary of the top cybersecurity, technology, and global risk stories of the day.
