Quantum computing rise sparks security fears amid skills shortage

Mark Patrick Wed 30 Apr 2025

Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/04/30/industry-insight-quantum-computing-rise-sparks-security-fears-amid-skills-shortage

Although quantum technology is still very much in its infancy, its commercial applications are already available. 

As the race to build more powerful quantum computers heats up, the concept of quantum supremacy gets closer to reality. The quantum supremacy milestone will severely compromise our existing digital security mechanisms, so another race is on to build secure solutions that are resistant to quantum computing.

Currently, one of the main risks to the evolution of quantum technology is a severe shortage of the skills required to bring scalable solutions to market. 

This article looks at the recent advancements in the field of quantum computing, discussing existing practical applications as well as technical barriers, scalability issues, and the ethical dilemmas inherent in this disruptive new technology.

Where Is Quantum Computing Today?

According to McKinsey, $1.71bn was invested globally in quantum technology startups in 2023. Although this represents a slight decrease over 2022, investments have surged in recent years.

Despite significant advancements in recent years, a multitude of technical and practical challenges must be overcome before quantum computing becomes a mainstream technology.

Industry observers estimate that the hardware and software necessary for handling the most complex problems won’t be available until at least 2035. The stability and scalability of quantum hardware must be improved, better algorithms and error-correction techniques need to be developed, and, not least, an acute skills gap must be addressed. Surging investments from both the public and private sectors, however, indicate confidence that these barriers can be overcome. Engineers face an unprecedented opportunity to shape and influence this next technology wave, but they must first equip themselves with the necessary skills.

Quantum Supremacy and Security 

The theoretical concept of quantum supremacy is seen as a significant milestone in quantum computing, referring to the point at which quantum computers could outperform classical computers. In 2019, Google claimed to have achieved this milestone when its 53-qubit quantum processor, Sycamore, reportedly took 200 seconds to solve a specific problem that would have taken the world’s fastest supercomputer, Summit, approximately 10,000 years to solve.

While the Sycamore experiment was a significant breakthrough, the full potential of quantum computers has yet to be realised, and quantum supremacy remains an ongoing area of research and exploration. The prospect of quantum supremacy, however, has profound implications for the future of computing and various industries, and not the least for security.

Current digital security methods rely on cryptography or encryption, and the effectiveness of modern encryption algorithms is based on the computational difficulty of certain mathematical problems, such as factoring large numbers or solving discrete logarithm problems. Classical computers struggle to resolve these problems within a reasonable timeframe, but quantum computers have the potential to solve them quickly and efficiently. This creates an emerging threat to current digital security and leads to the rapidly developing fields of post-quantum cryptography and quantum cryptography.

Emerging Security Technologies and Innovations 

Quantum supremacy is largely viewed as a given, with timeframe estimates ranging from between six and 20 years from now. At the same time, experts acknowledge the risk of harvest-now-decrypt-later (HDPL) attacks, where rogue nation-states and cybercriminals can capture encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it later when technology has advanced sufficiently. 

Governments and industry are responding to this future threat to security with a two-pronged approach focused on post-quantum cryptography and quantum cryptography.

Post-Quantum Cryptography

Bodies such as the US National Institute of Standards (NIST) have been collaborating with industry experts on the development of post-quantum cryptography standards. Post-quantum cryptography substitutes existing algorithms with a set of maths problems that are difficult for both classical and quantum computers to solve. After a six-year programme, NIST has selected the first four encryption algorithms, which will become part of a pending post-quantum cryptographic standard. Also, in December 2022, US President Joe Biden signed into law the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, which obliges federal agencies to transition to post-quantum encryption standards. 

While current cryptography relies on factoring large numbers, these new standards are based on lattice problems, such as the CRYSTALS-Kyber public-key encryption and the CRYSTALS-Dilithium digital signature algorithms. With ongoing research into the field, additional post-quantum encryption standards will be defined, focused mainly on six different approaches: lattice-based cryptography, multivariate cryptography, hash-based cryptography, code-based cryptography, isogeny-based cryptography, and symmetric key quantum resistance.

Quantum Cryptography

Parallel to the post-quantum cryptography developments, the emerging field of quantum cryptography aims to secure digital communication by harnessing the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics

Quantum key distribution (QKD) relies on one of the key properties of quantum mechanics, where a quantum system is disrupted by any attempt to observe it. QKD offers built-in security since if an eavesdropper attempts to read a key generated via QKD, both the creator and the recipient will be aware. QKD requires dedicated circuits and equipment but is the most mature and widely studied aspect of quantum cryptography, with several commercial products and services available. Ongoing research in QKD is focused on improving the distance, speed, and efficiency of key generation, developing new protocols and techniques, and integrating QKD with existing networks and devices.

Quantum random number generation (QRNG) produces truly random numbers using quantum phenomena, such as the uncertainty principle or the entanglement of quantum states. Classical encryption techniques are based on pseudo-random numbers, which can be compromised; but truly random numbers generated by QRNG offer higher quality, unpredictability, and verifiability. QRNG is a fundamental component of QKD and other quantum cryptographic protocols, and QRNG systems are already on the market, including randomness-as-a-service platforms, which provide quantum-generated random numbers and QRNG chips. QRNG research focuses on developing new sources and methods of quantum randomness, improving the performance and scalability of QRNG devices, and verifying and certifying the randomness of quantum outputs.

Although still in its infancy, quantum cryptography is starting to be deployed in critical infrastructure and finance sectors to secure transactions and protect sensitive data. In Geneva, Switzerland, a collaboration between ID Quantique (IDQ) and Colt Technologies and Services has deployed a secure critical backbone link for local financial institutions based on IDQ’s Cerberis QKD solution.

Ethics and Regulation 

As with any rapidly emerging technology with disruptive potential, the development of an appropriate regulatory framework addressing the following aspects is essential.

Ethical and social concerns include resource allocation and inequality, abuse of power, accountability and transparency, and potential job displacement.

As discussed, the development of quantum-resistant security standards is a priority, while proactive regulation is required to ensure the safeguarding of privacy.

The economic impact of quantum technology will be high, and a regulatory framework must manage potentially disruptive economic implications and ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders.

Given the global nature of quantum technology, international collaboration is essential to ensure a globally harmonised regulatory environment that fosters innovation.

Various approaches currently exist, according to region. In Europe, the Quantum Flagship programme emphasises the development of secure networks, standards and certification, and ethical deployment.       

The Trajectory of Quantum Computing

Despite the progress described above, many challenges remain to be overcome before quantum technology can be considered mainstream. Technical challenges include:

• A lack of high-quality, error-corrected qubits. 
• Limited connectivity, making long-range entanglement infeasible. 
• Limited support for circuit-level fault tolerance and the integration of qubits into universal computing systems. 
• Difficulty in verifying and debugging quantum computations, especially with larger systems, because of measurement on quantum systems.

These challenges also present opportunities for individuals and organisations in the engineering, computing, and scientific communities. Significant effort is required to continue developing fault-tolerant quantum architecture, which decreases error rates or noise in quantum computing. The technology is currently expensive and requires super-cooling expertise and further development to enable the scaling up of quantum systems. In the software world, the focus is on building a quantum stack capable of operating with quantum principles and integrating classical and quantum computing algorithms.

The pace of development is currently threatened by a chronic shortage of skills outside of the research and academic environments. McKinsey predicts that less than half of quantum-related vacancies will be filled by the end of 2025.

Promising solutions

Quantum cryptography and post-quantum cryptography offer promising solutions to the looming threat of quantum computing, but several challenges remain to be overcome before the race is won. Significant investment has been made in the research and development of these critical security technologies, but a severe skill shortage threatens to slow down their evolution. 

Organisations and individuals, including both software and electronic hardware engineers, have a golden opportunity to pivot their skills to contribute to this next technological wave.