• @SmoothOperator@lemmy.world
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      06 months ago

      Prime factorisation is indeed nobody’s primary idea of what a quantum computer will be useful for in practice any time soon, but it cannot be denied that Shor’s algorithm is the first and only method of prime factorisation we have discovered which can finish in realistic time with realistic resources.

      And that means that RSA is no longer as safe as it once was, justifying the process of finding alternatives.

      • sepi
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        06 months ago

        I’m sorry - did you read the slides?

        • @SmoothOperator@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Indeed I did. They seem to be pointing to the fact that current machines are not factoring primes in any serious way.

          Does this contradict my point?

    • floquant
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      6 months ago

      The introduction also reminds me of some other modern hyped technology…

      Great share, thanks!

      edit: Oof, the subprime mortgage emergency stop analogy too, to a T