Christian Schaffner contributed to Technoloog podcast of BNR Nieuwsradio
Christian Schaffner joined Ben Van der Burg and @Mark Beekhuis at their Technoloog podcast of BNR Nieuwsradio to talk about where quantum computing stands right now — and what it means for cybersecurity.
A few things that stood out:
The race between quantum hardware and quantum software is tightening fast. Five years ago, breaking RSA-2048 with a quantum computer would have required an estimated 20 million physical qubits. Thanks to breakthroughs in quantum error correction — including two remarkable papers published just weeks ago — that number has dropped to potentially just thousands. The hardware isn't there yet, but the goalpost is moving closer much faster than many expected.
This matters now, not in some distant future. The "harvest now, decrypt later" threat is real: encrypted data captured today can be broken once a sufficiently powerful quantum computer exists. The good news? The transition to post-quantum cryptography has already begun. Cloudflare has it on by default. Signal, WhatsApp, and iMessage have adopted quantum-safe protocols. NIST published its new standards in 2024.
But there's a flip side too. Quantum computers were originally conceived to simulate nature — and that's still their most promising near-term application. Helping us understand molecular processes in drug design, materials science, and energy-efficient chemistry — potentially before they pose a threat to cryptography. That's exactly what we're working toward at QuSoft.
🎧 Link to the full episode in Dutch in the comments.
hashtagquantumcomputing hashtagpostquantumcryptography hashtagcybersecurity hashtagquantumerrorcorrection hashtagresearch
Bas Westerbaan Aldo Brinkman Dimitri van Esch University of Amsterdam UvA Faculty of Science Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica TNO Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst - AIVD QDNL Amsterdam QDNL
The race between quantum hardware and quantum software is tightening fast. Five years ago, breaking RSA-2048 with a quantum computer would have required an estimated 20 million physical qubits. Thanks to breakthroughs in quantum error correction — including two remarkable papers published just weeks ago — that number has dropped to potentially just thousands. The hardware isn't there yet, but the goalpost is moving closer much faster than many expected.
This matters now, not in some distant future. The "harvest now, decrypt later" threat is real: encrypted data captured today can be broken once a sufficiently powerful quantum computer exists. The good news? The transition to post-quantum cryptography has already begun. Cloudflare has it on by default. Signal, WhatsApp, and iMessage have adopted quantum-safe protocols. NIST published its new standards in 2024.
But there's a flip side too. Quantum computers were originally conceived to simulate nature — and that's still their most promising near-term application. Helping us understand molecular processes in drug design, materials science, and energy-efficient chemistry — potentially before they pose a threat to cryptography. That's exactly what we're working toward at QuSoft.
🎧 Link to the full episode in Dutch in the comments.
hashtagquantumcomputing hashtagpostquantumcryptography hashtagcybersecurity hashtagquantumerrorcorrection hashtagresearch
Bas Westerbaan Aldo Brinkman Dimitri van Esch University of Amsterdam UvA Faculty of Science Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica TNO Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst - AIVD QDNL Amsterdam QDNL
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