Chile is preparing to face the challenges posed by this disruptive technology by designing a roadmap for quantum development. Quantum computers' immense processing capacity presents a significant opportunity for modeling complex problems, but it also poses security challenges, as they could potentially crack keys and codes encrypted with current technology.
(Summary from press release of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, May 2024)
Quantum technology will exponentially increase the capacity of the computers we know. To take advantage of these opportunities and face the risks associated with the great computing power this brings, the Secretary of Interior and Public Security, Carolina Tohá, and the Secretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Aisén Etcheverry, presented in May 2024 the Expert Commission on Quantum Technologies.
Secretary Carolina Tohá valued the initiative: “It is important to prepare for the day when quantum tech really becomes more prominent. That is not on the distant horizon, but quite imminent, and coincides with the moment we are starting to implement the Cybersecurity Law and to generate the teams and work devices.”
Secretary Aisén Etcheverry explained the importance of this commission: “Countries that do not have a quantum technology strategy will be left out because their developments promise to bring exponential changes in industries such as finance, pharmaceuticals, new materials, disease detection, and many others. It is key, then, to move at the same speed as other countries, especially since we have a great connection with the rest of the world. A fundamental area is cybersecurity: we need to generate capabilities to take advantage of the possibilities opened by this technology, but also to protect ourselves when quantum computing advances enough to be able to violate any key or protection system.”
“From the same topic, another key issue arises: developed countries are making much more sophisticated cybersecurity standards to face quantum and if, as a country, we are not at that height, we are going to lose the spaces of collaboration that we have today in different industries,” Secretary Etcheverry pointed out.
The day when quantum research reaches that level of development is known internationally as “Q Day”. To be prepared, countries started investing years ago: between 2012 and 2022, China invested 25,000 million dollars of private capital in this technology, the European Union 7,200, the United States 3,700 and Canada 1,600. In Latin America, only Brazil appears with 11 million dollars, being only 0.02% of the investment at a global level (Source: Global Quantum Intelligence).
Chile, due to its advances in digital matters and its high investment in digital capabilities, is already advancing in human capital, technology and specialized infrastructure in this area. Faced with the need to have a strategic framework, the government requested the coordinated advice of the new Expert Commission on Quantum Technologies, which will make a diagnosis of the national situation both in the academic world and in the private sector and deliver a roadmap that proposes the steps to follow and prioritize them.
About the Commission
The creation of this expert commission establishes a framework for progress and strategic guidance in this cutting-edge field. It is made up of 8 experts, appointed by decree. With a duration of 120 calendar days from the first session, it is expected that the group will deliver a report with fifteen recommendations aimed at guiding public policies in this field of technological innovation.
The selected committee is composed of the following people:
a. Five representatives of Universities that have research lines in quantum:
Stephen Walborn, Representative of Universidad de Concepción
Dardo Goyeneche, Representative of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Carla Hermann, Representative of Universidad de Chile
Francisco Albarrán, Representative of Universidad de Santiago de Chile
b. A representative of a national Research Center that has lines related to quantum technologies:
Aldo Delgado, Director of the Millennium Institute for Research in Optics (MIRO)
c. A representative of a national scientific-technological base enterprise that has products and/or services related to quantum technologies:
Paulina Assmann, CEO and co-founder of the company SeQure Quantum
d. An expert from a strategic area for the purposes of this commission:
Sabina Torres Figueroa, Representative of the Ministry of Interior and Public Security
This diverse group of experts will contribute their unique perspectives and expertise to the advancement of quantum technologies in Chile.
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