Google’s parent has spun out a team working on novel encryption and navigation systems using quantum techniques. Credit: Getty Images Google’s parent Alphabet has spun out a new company, Sandbox AQ, offering enterprises artificial intelligence and quantum computing software as a service. The company is starting life with two major research objectives. The first is the creation of post-quantum cryptosystems and related privacy-enhancing technologies, in an attempt to keep data secure should quantum computing develop to the point of rendering today’s encryption techniques obsolete. The second is the creation of a novel navigation system based on geophysical signals (such as local variations in the earth’s magnetic and gravitational fields) rather than satellites. Sandbox AQ suggests such a system could be useful for autonomous vehicles or in areas where access to global navigational satellite systems (GNSSs) is denied. That might have seemed a far-fetched concern until war broke out in Ukraine and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency reported incidents of GPS signal jamming and spoofing around the conflict zone and elsewhere that threatened aircraft navigation. Sandbox AQ is also looking at the development of new sensors based on quantum phenomena which could be useful in medical diagnostics, and at the discovery of novel materials, including pharmaceuticals, using AI. Beyond these initial objectives, the company’s focus remains vague: It says it intends to apply AI and quantum technology “to develop practical solutions for a broad range of use cases,” and to “develop quantum-based applications that do not rely on quantum hardware.” Crypto customers The company already claims customers for its cybersecurity offering, including Vodafone Business, the enterprise arm of European mobile operator Vodafone; Japanese operator Softbank Mobile; Mount Sinai Health System, the New York hospital network; and web-hosting company Wix. Others it will be targeting include the US Federal government, critical infrastructure operators, and the financial services industry. The new company will be led by Jack Hidary, a serial entrepreneur and former New York mayoral candidate. Hidary has worked for Alphabet since 2016, and in 2019 published a college textbook, Quantum Computing: An Applied Approach. Sandbox AI is still small, with just 55 engineers, scientists, and technologists, but clearly has the ambition to grow rapidly: Its website lists over 30 open positions, most of them in software development and most of them remote. To fund that growth, it has already landed investments totalling over $100 million from venture capital funds and individuals, including Eric Schmidt, who also serves on its board of directors. Sandbox’s focus on quantum applications without quantum hardware sounds odd, but developing the hardware is the focus of a team at Google’s Quantum AI lab. While companies such as Google, IBM, and Honeywell attempt to build viable quantum computers, there’s a thriving market for quantum computing simulation software running with conventional high-performance computing components. Nvidia is targeting this market, as are AWS, Atos, Microsoft, and IBM. And Microsoft and IBM are also working on quantum hardware. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Broadcom How to govern with people-centric planning To succeed with people-centric planning, leaders need to take a different approach to governance. Leaders must produce key metrics and offer the autonomy to determine the best way to achieve those metrics. By Laureen Knudsen, Chief Transformation Officer, AOD, Broadcom May 06, 2024 3 mins Digital Transformation IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by Avaya Staying agile in the contact center industry: The role of the connected agent A critical part of the “connected agent” strategy includes easy access to SMEs with a user experience that is simple…and AI is a core component. By Omar Javaid, Chief Product Officer, Avaya May 06, 2024 6 mins Digital Transformation news Atos receives four offers of help Rival bids seek to make the company either an integrated IT services powerhouse or a low-cost provider of data centers as a service. By Peter Sayer May 06, 2024 5 mins Managed IT Services Technology Industry feature 7 IT leadership hacks that deliver results From leaning on peers to accepting inconvenient challenges, CIOs offer time-tested, hard-won advice for achieving and sustaining IT and career success. By Paul Heltzel May 06, 2024 10 mins IT Strategy Staff Management IT Leadership PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe