Mediaboss Marketing

The AU-EU FTA would cover goods, services and business investment, but the EU has set some new demands which link trade liberalisation to climate.

The free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union (AU-EU FTA) which aims to drive Australian exports, economic growth and job creation appears to be back on the table with negotiations restarting later this year, albeit with some hard lines on climate targets set by the European Union (EU).

In 2016, due to the Brexit fallout, the Turnbull Government announced that it had commenced work towards negotiations with the EU for an AU-EU FTA, with the first round of negotiations occurring in early July 2018.

The most recent round of negotiations for the AU-EU FTA took place virtually on 7-18 February 2022, but further negotiations have been on pause since France placed a block on further progress following the Morrison Government's cancellation of the French contract to supply diesel-powered submarines. Australia's relations with France had been on ice until this May, when newly elected Anthony Albanese made efforts to reinvigorate a spirit of co-operation between the nations, with there now being clear signs from the EU about proceeding with the negotiations.

The shape of those negotiations is a bit clearer, with reports that the EU will include sanctions for failure to reach Paris Agreement targets for emissions reductions (Australia has already satisfied a requirement to make a commitment on carbon neutrality). Some members of the EU Parliament have also called for more sustainability commitments in trade agreements as well, which could be a factor as the EU Parliament must approve any FTA.

Apart from climate issues, the EU is also looking for new laws on geographic indicators, which would bring rules already in place for wine to foodstuffs, while pushing back on the size of beef, lamb and dairy quotas.

Why does Australia need a free trade agreement with the EU?

The AU-EU FTA intends to leverage the partnership between Australia and the EU, given that they both share a commitment to the rule of law, global norms and free and open markets. According to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia exported goods and services to the value of $18.7 billion in 2019-20, and imported $59.9 billion in the same period.

As a bloc, the EU is a high-income market with a population of just under 450 million people and a GDP of around US$15 trillion. In 2020, it was Australias second largest trading partner, as well as our seventh largest export destination, fourth largest services export market and second largest source of foreign investment.

>Similar to the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement that was signed on 17 December 2021, an agreement with the EU will provide new opportunities for Australian goods and services in a highly significant market, which in turn will assist Australia with its post-pandemic economic recovery. The AU-EU FTA also has the ability to afford Australian exporters with a competitive edge and more choice about where they do business, while granting Australian consumers greater choice in goods and services at lower prices.

Potential benefits of the AU-EU FTA

The AU-EU FTA has, like most FTAs, the potential to create significant benefits to Australia, such as:

What could the AU-EU FTA deliver?

Australia has been at the forefront of concluding modern, comprehensive FTAs which aim to maximise tariff reductions for Australian exporters, open up services markets, and set rules to enhance trade and investment, reduce regulatory risk and support further liberalisation.

The AU-EU FTA would cover goods, services and business investment and is considered key if Australia is to reduce its trade dependency on China. According to an impact assessment, trade in goods and services between the two partners could increase by around a third.

For example, the AU-EU FTA has the potential to deliver:

Timeline and next steps for the AU-EU FTA

Currently, the Australian Government is aiming to accelerate negotiations and progress the AU-EU FTA, with the next formal round of negotiation in October.

Throughout the negotiation period, DFAT indicates that it would be interested to receive submissions from interested individuals and groups on the potential opportunities and impacts of the AU-EU FTA. In your submission, it would be worthwhile considering how the AU-EU FTA may impact your business and the opportunities that will likely arise from a partnership with the EU to assist the Government in determining Australia's key priorities for further negotiations of the FTA.

In addition, as the AU-EU FTA is likely to have significant implications for Australian business and might open up various opportunities that will be worth taking advantage of, Australian businesses involved in trade and foreign investment, or those who are seeking to attract foreign capital, should prepare for the changing landscape and continue to stay abreast of the changes yet to come.

See the original post here:
Free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union back on the table - with some caveats - Lexology

Researchers talk to each other next to the IBM Q System One quantum computer at IBM's research facility in Yorktown Heights, New York. Quantum computing's speed and efficacy represent one of the biggest threat to data security in the future.

Photo: Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Quantum computing (QC) represents the biggest threat to data security in the medium term, since it can make attacks against cryptography much more efficient. With quantum computing capabilities having advanced from the realm of academic exploration to tangible commercial opportunities, now is the time to take steps to secure everything from power grids and IoT infrastructures to the burgeoning cloud-based information-sharing platforms that we are all increasingly dependent upon.

Despite encrypted data appearing random, encryption algorithms follow logical rules and can be vulnerable to some kinds of attacks. All algorithms are inherently vulnerable to brute-force attacks, in which all possible combinations of the encryption key are tried.

According to Verizons 2021 Data Breach report, 85% of breaches caused by hacking involve brute force or the use of credentials that have been lost or stolen. Moreover, cybercrime costs the U.S. economy $100 billion a year and costs the global economy $450 billion annually.

Although traditionally, a 128-bit encryption key establishes a secure theoretical limit against brute-force attacks, this is a bare-minimum requirement for Advanced Encryption Standard symmetric keys, which are currently the default symmetric encryption cipher used for public and commercial purposes.

These are considered to be computationally infeasible to crack, and most experts consider todays 128-bit and 256-bit encryption keys to be generally secure. However, within the next 20 years, sufficiently large quantum computers will be able to break essentially all public-key schemes currently in use in a matter of seconds.

Quantum computing speeds up prime number factorization, so computers with quantum computation can easily break cryptographic keys via quickly calculating and exhaustively searching secret keys. A task thought to be computationally impossible by conventional computer architectures becomes easy by compromising existing cryptographic algorithms, shortening the span of time needed to break public-key cryptography from years to hours.

Quantum computers outperform conventional computers for specific problems by leveraging complex phenomena such as quantum entanglement and the probabilities associated with superpositions (when quantum bits [qubits] exist in several states at the same time) to perform a series of operations in such a way that favorable probabilities are enhanced. When a quantum algorithm is applied, the probability of measuring the correct answer is maximized.

Algorithms such as RSA, AES, and Blowfish remain worldwide standards in cybersecurity. The cryptographic keys of these algorithms are based mainly on two mathematical procedures the integer factorization problem and the discrete logarithm problem that make it difficult to crack the key, preserving the systems security.

Two algorithms for quantum computers challenge current cryptography systems. Shors algorithm greatly speeds up the time required for solving the integer factorization problem. Grovers quantum search algorithm, while not as fast, still significantly increases the speed of decryption keys that, with traditional computing technologies, would take time on the order of quintillions of years.

All widely used public-key cryptographic algorithms are theoretically vulnerable to attacks based on Shors algorithm, but the algorithm depends on operations that can only be achieved by a large-scale quantum computer (>7000 qubits). Quantum computers are thus likely to make encryption systems based on RSA and discrete logarithm assumptions (DSA, ECDSA) obsolete. Companies like D-Wave Systems promise to deliver a 7000+ qubit solution by 2023-2024.

Quantum technologies are expected to bring about disruption in multiple sectors. Cybersecurity will be one of the main industries to feel this disruption; and although there are already several players preparing for and developing novel approaches to cybersecurity in a post-quantum world, it is vital for corporations, governments, and cybersecurity supply-chain stakeholders to understand the impact of quantum adoption and learn about some of the key players working on overcoming the challenges that this adoption brings about.

Businesses can implement quantum-safe cybersecurity solutions that range from developing risk management plans to harnessing quantum mechanics itself to fight the threats QC poses.

Related Reading

The replacement of encryption algorithms generally requires steps including replacing cryptographic libraries, implementation of validation tools, deployment of hardware required by the algorithm, updating dependent operating systems and communications devices, and replacing security standards and protocols. Hence, post-quantum cryptography needs to be prepared for eventual threats as many years in advance as is practical, despite quantum algorithms not currently being available to cyberattackers.

Quantum computing has the potential for both disrupting and augmenting cybersecurity. There are techniques that leverage quantum physics to protect from quantum-computing related threats, and industries that adopt these technologies will find themselves significantly ahead of the curve as the gap between quantum-secure and quantum-vulnerable systems grows.

Visit link:
Quantum Computing Will Breach Your Data Security BRINK Conversations and Insights on Global Business - BRINK

[Editors note: 7 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy for the Next 10 Years was previously published in August 2020. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.]

Quantum computing has long been a concept stuck in the theory phase. Using quantum mechanics to create a class of next-generation quantum computers with nearly unlimited computing power remained out of reach.

But quantum computing is starting to hit its stride. Recent breakthroughs in this emerging field such as IBMs (IBM) progressive 100-qubit quantum chip are powering quantum computing forward. Over the next several years, this space will go from theory to reality. And this transition will spark huge growth in the global quantum computing market.

The investment implication?

Its time to buy quantum computing stocks.

At scale, quantum computing will disrupt every industry in the world, from finance to biotechnology, cybersecurity and everything in between.

It will improve the way medicines are developed by simulating molecular processes. It will reduce energy loss in batteries via optimized routing and design, thereby allowing for hyper-efficient electric car batteries. In finance, it will speed up and augment portfolio optimization, risk modeling and derivatives creation. In cybersecurity, it will disrupt the way we go about encryption. It will create superior weather forecasting models, unlock advancements in autonomous vehicle technology and help humans fight climate change.

Im not kidding when I say quantum computing will change everything.

And as this next-gen computing transforms the world, quantum computing stocks will be big winners over the next decade.

So, with that in mind, here are seven of those stocks to buy for the next 10 years:

Among the various quantum computing stocks to buy for the next 10 years, the best is probably Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) stock.

Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com

Its Google AI Quantum is built on the back of a state-of-the-art 54-qubit processor dubbed Sycamore. And many consider this to be the leading quantum computing project in the world. Why? This thinking is bolstered mostly by the fact that, in late 2019, Sycamore performed a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the worlds most powerful supercomputers 10,000 years to perform.

This achievement led Alphabet to claim that Sycamore had reached quantum supremacy. What does this mean? Well, thats the point when a quantum computer can perform a task in a relatively short amount of time that no other supercomputer could in any reasonable amount of time.

Many have since debated whether or not Alphabet has indeed reached quantum supremacy.

But thats somewhat of a moot point.

The reality is that Alphabet has built the worlds leading quantum computer. The engineering surrounding it will only get better. And so will Sycamores computing power. And through its Google Cloud business, Alphabet can turn Sycamore into a market-leading quantum-computing-as-a-service business with huge revenues at scale.

To that end, GOOG stock is one of the best quantum computing stocks to buy today for the next 10 years.

Source: shutterstock.com/LCV

The other big dog that closely rivals Alphabet in the quantum computing space is IBM.

IBM has been big in the quantum computing space for years. But Big Blue has attacked this space in a fundamentally different way than its peers.

That is, other quantum computing players like Alphabet have chased quantum supremacy. But IBM has shunned that idea in favor of building on something the company calls the quantum advantage.

Ostensibly, the quantum advantage really isnt too different from quantum supremacy. The former deals with a continuum focused on making quantum computers perform certain tasks faster than traditional computers. The latter deals with a moment focused on making quantum computers permanently faster at all things than traditional computers.

But its a philosophical difference with huge implications. By focusing on building the quantum advantage, IBM is specializing its efforts into making quantum computing measurably useful and economic in certain industry verticals for certain tasks.

In so doing, IBM is creating a fairly straightforward go-to-market strategy for its quantum computing services in the long run.

IBMs realizable, simple, tangible approach makes it one of the most sure-fire quantum computing stocks to buy today for the next 10 years.

Another big tech player in the quantum computing space with promising long-term potential is Microsoft (MSFT).

Source: Asif Islam / Shutterstock.com

Microsoft already has a huge infrastructure cloud business, Azure. Building on that foundation, Microsoft has launched Azure Quantum. Its a quantum computing business with potential to turn into a huge QCaaS business at scale.

Azure Quantum is a secure, stable and open ecosystem, serving as a one-stop shop for quantum computing software and hardware.

The bull thesis here is that Microsoft will lean into its already-huge Azure customer base to cross-sell Azure Quantum. Doing so will give Azure Quantum a big and long runway for widespread early adoption. And thats the first step in turning Azure Quantum into a huge QCaaS business.

And it helps that Microsofts core Azure business is absolutely on fire right now.

Putting it all together, quantum computing is simply one facet of the much broader Microsoft enterprise cloud growth narrative. That narrative will remain robust for the next several years. And it will continue to support further gains in MSFT stock.

Source: Amin Van / Shutterstock.com

The most interesting, smallest and potentially most explosive quantum computing stock on this list is Quantum Computing (QUBT).

And the bull thesis is fairly simple.

Quantum computing will change everything over the next several years. But the hardware is expensive. It likely wont be ready to deliver measurable benefits at reasonable costs to average customers for several years. So, Quantum Computing is building a portfolio of affordable quantum computing software and apps that deliver quantum computing power. And they can be run on traditional legacy supercomputers.

In so doing, Quantum Computing is hoping to fill the affordability gaps. It aims to become the widespread, low-cost provider of accessible quantum computing software for companies that cant afford full-scale hardware.

Quantum Computing has begun to commercialize this software, namely with QAmplify, its suite of powerful QPU-expansion software technologies. through three products currently in beta mode. According to William McGann, the companys chief operating and technology officer:

The use of our QAmplify algorithm in the 2021 BMW Group Quantum Computing Challenge for vehicle sensor optimization provided proof of performance by expanding the effective capability of the annealer by 20-fold, to 2,888 qubits.

Quantum Computings products will likely start signing up automaker, financial, healthcare and government customers to long-term contracts. Those early signups could be the beginning of thousands for Quantums services over the next five to 10 years.

You could really see this company go from zero to several hundred million dollars in revenue in the foreseeable future.

If that happens, QUBT stock which has a market capitalization of $78 million today could soar.

Like others in this space, Alibabas (BABA) focused on creating a robust QCaaS arm to complement its already-huge infrastructure-as-a-service business.

Source: zhu difeng / Shutterstock.com

In short, Alibaba is the leading public cloud provider in China. Indeed, Alibaba Cloud owns about 10% of the global IaaS market. Alibaba intends to leverage this leadership position to cross-sell quantum computing services to its huge existing client base. And eventually, it hopes to become the largest QCaaS player in China, too.

Will it work?

Probably.

The Great Tech Wall of China will prevent many on this list from participating in or reaching scale in China. Alibaba does have some in-country quantum computing competition. But this isnt a winner-take-all market. And given Alibabas enormous resource advantages, its highly likely that it becomes a top player in Chinas quantum computing market.

Thats just another reason to buy and hold BABA stock for the long haul.

Source: StreetVJ / Shutterstock.com

The other big Chinese tech company diving head-first into quantum computing is Baidu (BIDU).

The company launched its own quantum computing research center in 2018. According to its website, the goal of this research center is to integrate quantum computing into Baidus core businesses.

If so, that means Baidus goal for quantum computing diverges from the norm. Others in this space want to build out quantum computing power to sell it as a service to third parties. Baidu wants to build out quantum computing power to, at least initially, improve its own operations.

Doing so will pay off in a big way for the company.

Baidus core search and advertising businesses could markedly improve with quantum computing. Advancements in computing power could dramatically improve its search algorithms and ad-targeting techniques and power its profits higher.

And thanks to its early research into quantum computing, BIDU stock does have healthy upside.

Last but not least on this list of quantum computing stocks to buy is Intel (INTC).

Source: Intel

Intel may be falling behind competitors namely Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on the traditional CPU front. But the semiconductor giant is on the cutting edge of creating potential quantum CPU candidates.

Intels newly announced Horse Ridge cryogenic control chip is widely considered the markets best quantum CPU candidate out there today. The chip includes four radio frequency channels that can control 128 qubits. Thats more than double Tangle Lake, Intels predecessor quantum CPU.

The big idea, of course, is that when quantum computers are built at scale, they will likely be built on Intels quantum CPUs.

Therefore, potentially explosive growth in the quantum computing hardware market over the next five to 10 years represents a huge, albeit speculative, growth catalyst for both Intel and INTC stock.

On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.

View post:
7 Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy for the Next 10 Years - InvestorPlace

Two More Quantum Network Testbeds Being Installed in Quebec, Canada and The Netherlands

The first quantum network is being set up by Numana, a non-profit organization located in Quebec, Canada with a mission to be a catalyst for technological ecosystems, and Bell Canada. With a budget of $3.75 million CAD ($2.89M USD) it will belaunched initially in Sherbrooke in early fall 2022 with subsequent extensions planned for Montreal and Quebec City. Quebecs Minister of Economy and Innovation will contribute $2.5 million CAD to help fund this project. Additional information about this project is available in a press release issued by Numana and located here. In addition, commercial company ID Quantique will also be participating in the project and has issued their own press release here.

The second quantum network testbed will be established in The Netherlands by QuTech,Eurofiberand Juniper Networks. This network will connect several datacenter locations in The Netherlands. It will test out the integration of a quantum networking concept called MDI-QKD (Measurement Device Independent Quantum Key Distribution) with a commercial optical fiber network from Eurofiber along withrouting, switching and security solutions from Juniper Networks. This program will test out the key technologies that will eventually be used in a National Quantum Network that will be developed and deployed for the next generation of digital infrastructure in the Netherlands. This project is co-funded by TKI (Topconsortium voor Kennis en Innovatie) High Tech Systems and Materials. A press release announcing this project has been posted on the QuTech website here.

July 9, 2022

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

See the article here:
Two More Quantum Network Testbeds Being Installed in Quebec, Canada and The Netherlands - Quantum Computing Report

Ajay Banerjee

Robotic surveillance platforms, 5G communications, air defence systems backed by augmented reality, real-time application of artificial intelligence in border areas, quantum computing labs that are building complex algorithms to prevent the enemy from hacking into encrypted data, automated drone detection systems and unmanned combat units for tank formations.

This is not the wish list of a Hollywood sci-fi movie, but is the reality of new technologies which are finding their way into the arsenal of the 1.1-million-strong Indian Army. The force has taken a technological leap to sharpen its war-fighting edge.

Customised requirements

MoD task force recommendations

In the past three decades, gradual upgrades were carried out in weaponry, tanks, helicopters, bullet-proofing, night sights, thermal imagers, artillery guns, assault rifles, etc. What has been undertaken in the past two-three years is a radical transformation. Sample this: the artificial intelligence (AI) centre at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow, has over 140 deployments in forward areas with the active support of industry, deep-tech start-ups and academia.

The 749-km-long Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and also the 3,448-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China are now embedded with world-class surveillance systems that provide live feed to commanders. AI is enabling remote target detection as well as classification of targets man or machine, armed or unarmed. All AI-oriented machines are tuned for interpretation, change and anomaly detection, and even intrusions at the LAC and the LoC, besides reading drone footage. These projects are part of the 12 AI domains identified by the National Task Force of Technology.

New technologies Imperative

Rapid evolution of AI, robotics, quantum technologies has initiated an unprecedented sense of urgency for infusing new-age technologies. Addition to Armys Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), weapon systems, command and control, training and logistics is an immediate imperative. Lt Gen Subrata Saha (retd), Ex-member of national security advisory board

The niche domain

The Army, with support from the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), established the Quantum Lab in 2021 to transform the current system of cryptography algorithms used to code data and voice for secure transmission. Among several usages, secure transmission is the key to battle as all major equipments use radio waves to communicate.

As quantum computing advances, it is expected to break into existing encryption methods, hence the next step is cryptography after quantum that is, algorithms capable of protecting sensitive information from the enemys quantum computers.

Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the US released a technology roadmap on how to protect data and systems as quantum computing technology advances.

Series of tech additions

The Armys arc of technology is vast, right from the cutting-edge quantum computing to 5G communications to the basic surveillance quadcopter that can operate in the Himalayas to provide real-time information in a 10-20 km radius.

Lt Gen Sanjay Kulkarni (retd), former Director General of Infantry, says, The collusive hybrid threat is a reality. India has to build deterrence while continuing to build our conventional capabilities.

Last month, the MCTE announced an MoU in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), to have a 5G test-bed for Armys operational use, especially along the borders.

The force is getting 550 units of augmented reality (AR) based head mounted display (HMD) for Rs 135 crore. The HMD is to be used by the crew of the ground-based air defence systems tasked to bring down incoming enemy missiles, copters and drones. The AR will display target data from new generation radars under all-weather conditions.

To fight terrorists hiding in residential areas, the Army is to arm the Rashtriya Rifles with 185 robotics surveillance platforms which can provide real-time intelligence inputs and also lob grenades, all the while being remotely operated from 200 metres. This means, in future, the robotic platform will in some cases make the initial breach into terrorist positions.

For the tank and mechanised formations, the Army is looking at 750 autonomous combat vehicles (ACVs) and has ordered a feasibility study for two variants. One variant will do surveillance for transfer of real-time images and videos to control stations with a range of 10 km. Its logistics version needs to carry 1,000 kg of load fuel and ammunition, and both need to be battery-operated for silence. New back-pack carried secure software defined radios with a range of 300 km are also on the list.

Using drones as offensive

A swarm of drones displayed during Army Day in January last year are among the R&D efforts. The Army is looking at 200 such drones to create swarms of 50 each, especially in the high Himalayas where India is handicapped by the terrain of rough and high peaks.

Each drone in a swarm is independent and autonomous, having the capability to carry out individual as well as collective tasks. A group of drones will provide an aerial offensive enabling beyond line of sight attack capability and avoiding risk to own troops.

As the world struggles to come up with viable drone detection and interdiction systems, the Army has ordered a feasibility study and is looking at 48 such systems, each to detect small aerial targets up to 10 kms away. It will further provide options of either killing the intruder or disabling it electronically by compromising its radio frequency and GPS at a distance of 5 km.

Political resolve

In March this year, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing a post-budget webinar on technology-enabled development, listed how the budget has allocations for artificial intelligence, geospatial systems, drones, semi-conductors, space technology and 5G, etc.

In June this year, as protests against the new military recruitment scheme Agnipath grew, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval argued for more technology, saying, War is undergoing a great change. We are going towards contactless wars, and also war against the invisible enemy. Technology is taking over at a rapid pace. If we have to prepare for tomorrow, then we have to change.

Lt Gen Kulkarni adds, We need the nations comprehensive power to counter it. The threat is real, the earlier we build our capacities, the better it is.

Read the original post:
How Army is taking technological leap - The Tribune India