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Quantum computers may finally have their first real practical use

Methods to generate the random numbers we need for secure communications are all flawed in some way, but quantum computers that exist today could produce random numbers that can't be faked

By Alex Wilkins

18 March 2023

Google's Sycamore quantum computer

Quantum computers such as Google’s Sycamore could be put to use creating numbers that are guaranteed to be truly random

HANNAH BENET/Google

Quantum computers can be used to generate truly random numbers that can’t be faked – which could be useful for secure communications or cryptocurrency networks like Ethereum.

The process could be run on today’s best quantum systems, such as Google’s Sycamore processor, and would be the first truly practical task that would be impossible without a quantum machine, say the researchers involved.

Random numbers are widely used in cybersecurity …

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