One day in the not too distant future, all our computer systems will be obsolete, our current cybersecurity methods worthless, and even our most powerful supercomputers powerless in the face of even faster, and much more powerful quantum computers, that can crack passwords like a hot knife through butter.

That is; unless we win the race to develop and deploy quantum computers that can protect and defend our networks and most valuable data. While there are already some quantum computers up and running in the United States; the technology is still not fully developed. Competitors such as China and the European Union, are also developing these new computers that work in an entirely different way than what we are using today.

To ensure we can not only compete, but win; the federal government is stepping up efforts to both develop quantum computers, and to develop a workforce that is trained to use them.

One of those efforts is underway right now at Kent State University, where they just got a $500 thousand dollar National Science Foundation grant for for quantum computing cyber infrastructure development.

To find out what that means; we talked to Professor, and Chair of the Kent State University Physics Department, Dr. Michael Strickland, and Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Dr. Qiang Guan.

Listen now, as they talk about how they're going to teach students how to program a completely new and different kind of computer, using hardware and software tools that quantum computers will eventually replace, and why it is important to our national security that we have a quantum-savvy workforce ready as soon as possible.

Dr. Michael Strickland, Chair, Dept. of Physics, Kent State University

Dr. Qiang Guan, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Kent State University