Quantum Mechanics Enables Perfectly Secure Cloud Computing

University of Vienna (01/19/12)

University of Vienna researchers say that secure cloud computing can be achieved using the principles of quantum mechanics and quantum computing.  The researchers envision a future in which quantum computing capabilities only exist in a few specialized facilities around the world, and users would then interact with those facilities to outsource their quantum computations.  However, the researchers say that global cloud computing needs to become safer to ensure that users' data remains private.  Quantum computing "can preserve data privacy when users interact with remote computing centers," says Vienna researcher Stefanie Barz.  She says that quantum computing enables the delegation of a quantum computation from a user who does not hold any quantum computational power to a quantum server, while guaranteeing that the user's data remains private, a process known as blind quantum computing.  Blind quantum computing involves the user preparing multiple qubits in a secret state and sending those qubits to the quantum computer, which entangles the qubits according to a standard scheme.  The user tailors measurement instructions to the specific state of each qubit and sends them to the quantum server.  The results of the computation are then sent back to the user who can interpret and use the results of the computation.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-quantum-mechanics-enables-perfectly-cloud.html