New The Quantum Observer Newsletter was published.
Summary
Quantum shifted up a gear. The Nobel Prize honored Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis for proving macroscopic quantum effects in circuits, the lineage of today’s superconducting qubits. On the business side, Rigetti booked on‑prem sales of 9‑qubit systems, Pasqal is investing $65M to build in Chicago, and IBM with Vanguard tested a 109‑qubit hybrid workflow for portfolio optimization. Finance leaders at Sibos flagged quantum opportunities and looming crypto risk, and market sentiment turned bullish.
Security takeaways are growing sharper. EeroQ ran electron‑on‑helium qubits at 1.1 K, easing the cooling bottleneck and potentially speeding the path to large‑scale systems that could pull Q‑Day forward. Dutch researchers cut the quantum sieving constant for SVP from about 0.3098 to 0.2846, a theoretical speedup that does not break PQC but narrows safety margins. Ultrafast squeezed‑light results hint at higher bandwidth quantum communications and sensing. Policy momentum is real: California’s statewide quantum strategy, ETSI’s new quantum committee, the UK NCSC’s PQC pilot relaunch, the FCA’s sector guidance, and MAS’s multi‑bank QKD trial that worked yet exposed interoperability and relay‑node hurdles.
Hype management matters. HSBC and IBM’s bond‑pricing study saw a 34 percent boost linked to noise, interesting but not advantage, with Scott Aaronson urging rigor and reproducibility. A new “Quantum Flapdoodle of the Week” calls out scams like “quantum medbeds,” while a Getting Started With Quantum Readiness guide offers a practical migration roadmap. The Quantum Minute winning Best Podcast Series of 2025 signals quantum risk is now mainstream. For CISOs, the play is clear: inventory crypto, prioritize PQC migration, track both hardware and algorithmic shifts, and keep the baloney detector on high.
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