QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION (QKD) |
Why in News: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that a collaborative effort between scientists and engineers from DRDO and IIT Delhi achieved a successful demonstration of a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link spanning a distance exceeding 100 km between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh.
About QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION (QKD)
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), also known as Quantum Cryptography, serves as a method to establish secure communication channels.
- Key Distribution:QKD facilitates the distribution and exchange of secret keys essential for cryptographic procedures.
- Cryptography Overview:Cryptography involves techniques ensuring that only the sender and intended receiver can access the contents of a message.
- Importance of Cryptographic Protocols:Cryptographic algorithms and protocols are crucial for maintaining security, particularly in scenarios involving communication over untrusted networks like the Internet.
- Comparison with Conventional Cryptosystems: Unlike traditional cryptosystems reliant on complex mathematical algorithms, quantum communication’s security is grounded in the principles of Physics.
Mechanism
- Qubit Transmission: Encryption keys in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) are transmitted as ‘qubits’ through optical fibers, leveraging their capacity for high-speed, long-distance data transmission via total internal reflections.
- Optical Fiber Advantage:Optical fibers outperform other mediums in terms of data transmission speed and distance, owing to their total internal reflection principle.
- User Interactions and Authentication:QKD implementation necessitates authenticated interactions between legitimate users, achievable through various cryptographic methods.
- Key Generation: QKD enables two distant users lacking an initial long secret key to generate a common, random string of secret bits known as a secret key.
- Transformation of Communication Channel:QKD transforms an authenticated communication channel into a secure one, ensuring confidentiality and integrity.
- Detection of Illegitimate Access:QKD is designed to detect unauthorized attempts to intercept transmissions by disturbing the qubits encoded on photons, resulting in transmission errors that promptly alert legitimate end-users.
Quantum Supremacy |
Why in News: Recently, a preliminary research document asserted that researchers at Google have reached a highly desired milestone in physics known as “quantum supremacy.” However, a group from IBM has released their own study asserting their ability to replicate the Google findings using current supercomputers.
About Quantum Supremacy:
- Origin of Term: The term “quantum supremacy” was introduced by John Preskill in 2011 during a presentation where he discussed the advantages of quantum hardware over traditional computers.
- Quantum Computing Fundamentals: Quantum computing utilizes quantum-mechanical phenomena like superposition and entanglement to conduct computations.
- Quantum Computer Implementation: Computation using quantum mechanics can be executed theoretically or physically through a quantum computer.
- Defining Quantum Supremacy:Quantum supremacy denotes a quantum computer’s ability to solve a problem beyond the reach of classical computers within a reasonable timeframe, highlighting the quantum computer’s speed.
- Practical Implications:This concept underscores the point where quantum computers can address problems practically impossible for classical (non-quantum) computers to solve in a feasible timeframe.
- Threshold for Quantum Supremacy:It’s commonly accepted that a minimum of 49 qubits is necessary to achieve quantum supremacy.
Differences in Qubits and Bits: l Unlike classical bits that represent either a “1” or a “0” and operate on one bit at a time, qubits can embody a combination state of both “1” and “0” simultaneously due to quantum effects, allowing for quantum indeterminacy. |
- Quantum Indeterminacy:Qubits’ unique behavior enables them to exist in multiple states simultaneously, a phenomenon known as quantum indeterminacy, which diverges significantly from classical computing principles.
Supercomputers |
Why in News: Europe wants startups to do AI with supercomputers
About Supercomputer
A supercomputer surpasses the performance of general-purpose computers.
- Performance Measurement: Supercomputers’ performance is gauged in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS), contrasting with million instructions per second (MIPS) for typical computers.
- Processing Power:Supercomputers incorporate tens of thousands of processors and execute billions or trillions of calculations per second, with some achieving 100 quadrillion FLOPS.
- Real-Time Applications:They excel in real-time applications due to rapid data exchange among processors, outperforming distributed computing systems.
- Transition to Linux: In recent times, the architecture of supercomputers has shifted from proprietary, in-house operating systems to Linux-based systems, contributing to their increased efficiency and accessibility.
Supercomputers function primarily through two methods:
- Distributed Computing:Utilizes numerous discrete computers, like laptops, spread across a network. Each computer, or client, undertakes multiple small tasks and communicates results to a central server. The server then consolidates these results into the final solution.
- Parallel Processing:Involves placing a large number of processors close to each other. This arrangement reduces data transfer time and enables processors to collaborate on tasks rather than working independently. Fields such as simulations, aerodynamics, nuclear fusion research, and cryptoanalysis heavily rely on this approach.
Application | Description |
Scientific Research | Supercomputers aid scientists in analyzing solar systems, satellites, and various nuclear research domains. |
Data Mining | Large corporations utilize supercomputers for data mining, extracting valuable insights from extensive data storage warehouses or cloud systems. For instance, life insurance companies utilize supercomputers to mitigate actuarial risks. |
Weather Forecasting | Climatologists utilize supercomputers to forecast weather patterns, including precipitation probabilities and the trajectories of hurricanes and cyclones. |
Intelligence Agencies | l Government intelligence agencies leverage supercomputers to monitor communications between private citizens and potential fraudsters. l These agencies rely on supercomputers’ numerical processing capabilities for encrypting cell phone conversations, emails, and satellite transmissions. |
Military and Defence | Supercomputing facilitates virtual testing of nuclear detonations and weapon ballistics for military and defense applications. |
Automobile Simulation | Automobile companies employ supercomputers to enable customers to simulate driving environments, aiding in vehicle purchasing decisions. |
Smog Control System | Scientists and climatologists utilize supercomputers to predict smog levels and pollution concentrations in specific regions. |
Entertainment | The entertainment industry utilizes supercomputers for animation creation, while online gaming companies rely on them for developing animated games. |
Here are the fastest supercomputers globally according to the TOP500 list for June 2023:
Rank | System | Rmax (PFlop/s) | Location |
1 | HPE Frontier | 1194 | US |
2 | FugakuFujitsu | 442.01 | Japan |
3 | HPE LUMI | 309.1 | Finland |
4 | Atos Leonardo | 238.7 | Italy |
5 | IBM Summit | 148.6 | US |
Indian Supercomputers in Top 500
Rank | Site | Name | Rmax (TFlop/s) | Rpeak (TFlop/s) |
75 | Centre for Development of Advanced Computing | AIRAWAT – PSAI | 8.5 | 13.17 |
131 | Centre for Development of Advanced Computing | PARAM – Siddhi AI | 4.62 | 5.27 |
169 | Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology | Pratyush (Cray XC40) | 3.76 | 4.01 |
316 | National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting | Mihir (Cray XC40) | 2.57 | 2.81 |
AIRAWAT |
Why in News: India’s AI Supercomputer, ‘AIRAWAT’, achieved the 75th position globally at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) held in Germany.
About Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’:
- Inclusion in Top 500 Global Supercomputing List: Recently, the supercomputer has secured a spot in the 61st edition of the Top 500 Global Supercomputing List.
- Installation at C-DAC, Pune:The AI supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’ is housed at C-DAC, Pune, and is part of the National Program on AI initiated by the Government of India.
- Manufacturer: ‘AIRAWAT’ was manufactured by Netweb Technologies.
- Specifications: ‘AIRAWAT PSAI’ is India’s largest and fastest AI supercomputing system, boasting an impressive speed of 13,170 teraflops.
- Benefits:
- Empowering Various Sectors:The supercomputer will empower academia, research labs, scientific communities, industries, and startups to develop indigenous AI-enabled products and solutions, particularly aimed at addressing India-specific grand challenges and complex real-life problems.
- Revolutionizing Multiple Sectors:‘AIRAWAT’ has the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including weather forecasting, drug discovery, climate modeling, and artificial intelligence research.
Chatbot |
Why in News: Microsoft’s latest iteration of the Bing search engine incorporates a chatbot capable of responding to inquiries in clear language.
About Chatbots:
Chatbots are software programs crafted to replicate conversations with human users, typically via text-based interfaces such as messaging apps or websites.
- Technology Behind: They employ natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to comprehend and reply to user queries, emulating human conversation patterns.
- Applications:Chatbots find utility across various sectors like retail, healthcare, finance, and entertainment, enhancing customer service experiences and streamlining repetitive tasks through automation.