New Mexico cybersecurity leader calls for quantum safeguards while state inks deal with major player

New Mexico cybersecurity officials told state lawmakers Thursday to prioritize updating digital security systems across state agencies before other countries develop a high-tech quantum computer.

The admonition came the same day Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a partnership with Japan-based tech company Fujitsu to establish a quantum computing research center in New Mexico. The timing of both meetings emphasized how quickly quantum computing is developing in government and business.

Government agencies typically store sensitive data — such as birth and death records, juvenile records and health records — in encrypted systems. Standard encryption typically deters hackers by requiring a computer to solve a series of complex math problems one at a time. Experts believe that quantum computers, however, will be able to solve several complex math problems at once, rendering standard encryption useless.

Officials in the U.S. and China, in particular, for years have been locked in a race to beat the other to a quantum breakthrough and gain an edge in obtaining the other nation’s state secrets.

State lawmakers this year have often discussed how New Mexico, which has attracted several high-profile quantum companies in recent years and is home to multiple national laboratories, can lead the country’s efforts. The Quantum World Congress in September recognized just two states — New Mexico and Illinois — as national leaders in quantum technology investment.