Exploratory Quantum Technology Assessment (EN)

EQTAwasmadepossiblebytheMinistryofEconomicAffairsand ClimateandfundedbytheQuantumDeltaNetherlandsGrowthFund.

EQTAisatooldevelopedbytheCentreforQuantumandSociety.

Exploratory Quantum Technology Assessment

GoalExploratory1 QuantumTechnology Assessment(EQTA)

QQuantumtechnologyisakeytechnology:itisan impactfultechnologythatisincreasinglybecoming partoftheproductsandservicesaroundus,ofour

computers,sensors,andnetworks.Theopportunities thisbringstosociety,economy,andsciencearesignificant, andquantumtechnologywillbeabletopositively contributetothechallengesfacingsociety.

Quantumtechnologyisdevelopingrapidly:someapplicationsare alreadypossibletoday,otherswillcometomarketinthecoming years,andsomewillrequiremajortechnicalbreakthroughsstill. However,thedirectionofthesedevelopmentsispartlydeterminedby theopportunitiesandapplicationpotentialthatorganizationsand societyareaimingfor.Thinkingabouttheopportunitiesand possibilities,whiletimelycreatingtheprerequisitesforresponsible applicationrequiresafocusedeffort.

TheEQTAisapracticalroadmapthathelpsorganizationswiththis effort:byexploringtheopportunitiesandimpactofquantum technologyinatimelymanner,anorganizationcanavoidnegative

1Theword‘exploratory’wasadoptedbecausequantumtechnologyisrapidlyevolving,asare thecircumstancesaffectingapplications:thinkoftheupcomingandever-changinglawsand regulationsaroundsecurityandprivacy,dataandcloud,therapidstandardizationdevelopmentsofquantumtechnology,andgeopoliticaldevelopments.

impactsandsetpreconditions.Thisisrequiredtoensurethat opportunitiesandimpactcanbemanaged.

TheEQTAisaninstrumentthroughwhichQuantumDelta Netherlands(QDNL),whichcombineseffortsintheNetherlands aroundquantumtechnology,contributestotheoptimaland responsibleuseofopportunitiesofquantumtechnology.

TheEQTAsupportstwotypesoforganizations:

• Organizationsexperiencingtheimpactofquantumtechnologynow orinthefutureoncequantumtechnologyisincreasinglyadopted.

• Organizationsdevelopingorapplyingquantumtechnology themselvesatpresentorinfuture.

TheEQTA–QuickScanandroadmap

TheEQTAbeginswithaQuickScanthatconsistsof:

• Explorationoftechnology:whatisit?Abrieforientationon quantumtechnologyandtimelines.(SeeAppendix01:Quantum technologyinbrief)

• Explorationofapplicationpossibilities:whatisinstoreforthe organization?Abrieforientationofapplicationpossibilitiesusing examples. (seepage30: EQTAandQuantumDeltaNederland).

• Briefdescription:basedontheimpressionofapplication possibilitiesusingexamples,outlinewhatimpacttheorganization willexperiencefromquantumtechnologyand/orwhichofthe applicationsarerelevanttoaspecificorganization.

• Briefstakeholderanalysis:whoaretheimportantstakeholders/ expertsthatwillbeimpacted?

• Dialoguesession:exploreandtestwhatisneededtomakethe mostofthepossibilitiesofquantumtechnologyand,ifnecessary, avoidnegativeimpacts(see page15: Inpractice-step4:Dialogue withstakeholders).

Shouldthedialoguesessionrevealthatactionisnecessary, organizationsmaythenproceedthroughtheentireEQTAtofurther explorespecificareas(societal,technical,legal,andethical).

WhoistheEQTAfor?

TheEQTAisrelevanttoanyorganizationthatisimpactedby applicationofquantumtechnologyorisconcernedwiththe(future) developmentandapplicationofquantumtechnology,theopportunities itpresentsfortheorganization,andwhatisneededtoresponsibly realizethoseopportunitiesandavoidnegativeimpacts.Toexplore theopportunitiesandconsequences,societal,technical,legal,and ethicalframeworksareinvolved.Morespecifically,thiswouldinclude quantumapplicationfrontrunners,innovationmanagers,(Chief) SecurityOfficers,(Chief)InformationOfficers,lawyers,andethicists.

Itisimportanttoconsiderthatwhiletheseaudiencesmaytakethe initiativetogothroughEQTA,theywillneed—toproperlyconsider thevariousinterestsandperspectives—toengagewithvarious expertsandstakeholders.Forinstance,managementandadministrators,thepeoplewhowillhavetoworkwiththetechnology,andthose organizationsandindividualsinvolvedexperiencingitsimpact.Some issuescanonlybeproperlyframedbyalsoinvolvingserviceproviders, technologyproviders,orscientistsandexpertsinaspecificfield (thinkexpertsonthesocietal,technological,legal,andethical aspects).Whoareinvolvedinthedialoguedependsverymuchon thenatureandimpactofquantumtechnologyontheorganization.

Thisdialogueisnecessarybecausedecisionsaroundquantum technologyoften(will)requireverycomplexconsiderations,involving theconsiderationsandknowledgeofexpertsfromverydifferent fieldsandstakeholderswithverydifferentbackgrounds.Moreover, theuncertaintiessurroundingthetechnologymustbeconsidered whilenotlosingsightoftheorganizationalgoals.Thedialogue aimstoensurethatthoseinvolveddevelopsuchknowledgeand understandingofeachother'sperspectivesthattheycancollectively deviseapproachesthatdothemaximumamountofjusticetothose

perspectives(see page15:Inpractice-step4:Dialoguewith stakeholders).

TheEQTAhelpsorganizationstoidentifythosevariousaspectsand cometoadecision—andjustifythatdecision,thensetupprocesses toevaluatethoseconsiderationsandincorporatenewinformation andinsights

“Quantumtechnologyisakey technology:itisanimpactful technologythatisincreasingly becomingpartoftheproducts andservicesaroundus”

QuickScan androadmap

TheEQTAhelpsorganizations takethestepsnecessaryfor responsibleapplicationof quantumtechnologyand tomanageitsimpact.

TheQuickscanprovidesa quickoverviewofthepointsof attentiontoguidetheimpact ofquantumtechnologyin atimelymanner.

Ifthequickscanshowsthat responsibleembeddingof quantumtechnologyrequires activeguidance,thenproceed tostep1oftheRoadmap.

Ifactiveguidanceisnot necessary,thisdecisionis alsodocumented.

QUICKSCAN

QuantumTechnology explorationandtimelines (page89)

ExploreApplications: examplesofapplications (page75)

Describeimpactonorganization, opportunities,andpotential threats(page13)

Performastakeholderanalysis (page69)

Organizeadialogue tovalidatethedescription, develop,anddecideifitis necessarytocontinue theEQTA(page69)

Decide:isitnecessaryto continuetothefullEQTA?

No

Yes

Documentandjustifythe decision(page71)

EXPLORATION INPRACTICE

Step7

Figure01 EQTA–QuickScanandroadmap

EQTAinanutshell ThecompleteEQTAroadmapconsistsofthe EQTAQuick Scan,an exploratorypart (step1,2and3)anda practical part (step4,5,6and7)

Generalnoteinadvance:

Thestepsaddressthesameissuesfromdifferentperspectivesand interests.Asaresult,theoutcomesofthestepsareoftenrelated,and someoverlapisinevitable.Trytoavoidduplicationanddojusticeto thedifferentperspectivesandinterests.

Somequestionsfromthestep-by-stepplanmaynotbeanswered properlyyet,forexamplebecausetheideaabouttheapplicationis stillveryglobalatacertainpointintime.Itisimportanttosetup processessothatrelevantdevelopmentscanbeaddressedina timelymanner.

EQTA-Quickscan

TheQuickScanaimstoquicklycreateapictureofwhatquantum technologybringstoorganizationsandwhatopportunitiesthe technologyoffers.Dependingonthefindings,theEQTAendsafter theQuickScan.

TheQuickScanconsistsofthefollowingparts:

• Explorationofquantumtechnology.Abrieforientationtoquantum technologyandtimelines.

• Explorationofapplications:whatisinstoreforyourorganization? whatwillquantumtechnologymeanforyourorganizationifthe technologyisapplied,orifyouapplyquantumtechnology yourself?

• Inastakeholderanalysis,explorewho(broadlyspeaking)willbe affectedbytheseapplicationsinandaroundyourorganization

• Organizeadialoguebetweenstakeholders,organizations,and experts.Theaimofthedialogueistogetthemostrealisticpicture possibleoftheimpactofquantumtechnology,theopportunities fortheorganizationandthepreconditionsforexploitingthese opportunitiesresponsibly.

IftheQuickScanshowsthattheorganizationneedstoactnow orstartactivelymonitoringdevelopments,proceedtoStep1 (Exploration).

Exploration

Step1:Explorethesocietalframework

• Perception:explorewhichgroupsneedtocontributetothe applicationandwhattheyneedtoknowaboutquantum technology.

• Socio-technicalecosystem:explorethesocialandtechnical conditionsforsuccessfulapplicationofquantumtechnology. Consider:skillsandknowledge,organizationalprocessesand governance,andthesignificanceoftheapplicationtothe technologytheorganizationuses.

• Stakeholders:explorewhotheapplicationwillaffectandhow toengagethesegroups.

• Externaldependencies:explorewhetheradjustmentsareneeded totherulesandproceduresgoverningtheapplicationdomain, (professional)codesandbestpractices,orstandards.Explore whethercooperationisneededwiththirdparties(business(chain) partners,regulators,political/administrative)torealizethis application.(Seealsostep3-Legalandethicalframeworks)

• Internationalcontext:exploreinwhatwaystheapplication dependsoninternationalcooperationandgeopolitical developmentsandhowtheseinternationaldependenciescan bemonitoredandinfluenced.

Step2:Exploretechnologicalframeworks

Exploretherequirementsfortheapplication:

• Fromatechnicalperspective,focusingonqualityaspectssuch assecurity,reliability,andsustainability.

• Fromthetechnicalboundaryconditionsforsecurity,trust,and datagovernance.Forinstance,participationin(anddevelopment of)dataecosystems,trustedandsecuresupplychainsfor technologyandcloud,authentication,andauthorization.

• Fromtheperspectiveoffuture-proofinginvestments,freedomof choiceandflexibilityoftheorganizationtodeterminethepace anddirectionofinnovation.

Step3:Explorelegalandethicalframeworks

Explorethelegalframeworksthatapplytotheapplication:

• International:fundamentalrightsandtreaties.

• Domestic,sectoral,orindustryspecific.

• (government)Oversightintermsoffinancial,security, continuity,andaccountability.

• Intellectualproperty,technology-specific(thinkAIAct orrestrictionsondissemination/useoftechnology).

• Geopolitics:frameworksregarding(inter)nationalsovereignty, restrictionsoncollaborationwithpeopleandcompanies.

Exploreorganizationalethicalframeworks:

• Mapouthowquantumtechnologycancontributeto organizationalvaluesthatareimportanttotheorganization.

Inpractice

Step4:Stakeholderdialogue

(alsolaststepEQTAQuickScan)

Organizeadialoguebetween:

• Expertswhocancreateanunderstandingoftheopportunitiesof quantumtechnologyandhaveknowledgeofthetechnical,social, ethical,andlegalframeworks.

• Administratorswhoaresteeringtheorganization.

• Stakeholderswhoexperiencetheimpactandworkwiththe technology.

Thepurposeofthedialogueistodescribeatangibleapproachforthe organizationincludingtheiradvantagesanddisadvantages,based ontheperspectivesfromvariousgroups.

Step5:Balancingsubsidiarity,proportionality, andnecessity

ComparetheapproachesfromStep4onsubsidiarity(arethereother optionstoachievethegoals?),proportionality(istheimpactofthe approachproportionaltothegoal?)andnecessity(istheapproach necessarytoachieveagoal?).

Step6:Decisionmaking,recording,andjustification

Documentthechoicesmadeandaccountability.

Step7:Feedbackandperiodicevaluation

Designtheprocessestoensurethatapplicationsarerealizedand thattheyproducetheintendedoutcomes.Activelymanagethe deliveryoftheseoutcomes.

Preface

Quantumtechnologyispromising.Itoffers unprecedentednewopportunitiesandinnovation potential.Atthesametime,thisareaoftechnology isstilldevelopingconsiderablyandnotall applicationshaveyetcometofruition.

Organizationsthatarealreadyinterestedinquantumtechnology ofteninvolvethepioneersintheorganization:thetechnicalexperts andinnovationmanagerswhowanttoknowwhatiscomingtheir way,orwhowanttostartfurtherdevelopingandusinganactual application.

Itispreciselyatthisstageofexploringandinvestigatingthe potentialofthetechnologyinaparticularapplicationarea,that expandingtheexplorationtothebroadersocietal,ethical,legal, andtechnicalcontextmaybenecessarytoensurethatopportunities areseized,andnegativeimpactsareavoided.2

Withtheaimtoprovidepracticalguidancetoquantumpioneersin organizationstohelpthemshapetheexpansionandinterpretwithin organizationshowtheethical,legal,andsocietalaspectsmayaffect theorganization,wewouldliketopresenttheExploratoryQuantum TechnologyAssessment(EQTA).Itoffersaconcreteroadmapfocused

2LessonsfromAI:stakeholderengagement–QuantumDeltaNederland(2022). https:// quantumdelta.nl/TUQ/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Lessons-from-AI_White-Paper-1_ Stakeholder-Engagement-2.pdf

onactualapplications,providesdepthandbackgroundonthesteps totake,andoutlinesexamplesandreal-worldscenarios.TheEQTA helpsorganizationsvisualizethepotentialimpactfortheirsector.

TheEQTAwascommissionedbyQuantumDeltaNederland(QDNL) andhastakenshapeinaworkinggroupthatunitesthreeworlds: thecreatorsofthetechnology,innovationmanagersandquantum pioneersatcompaniesandorganizationsthatwanttoworkwithit orareaffectedbyit,andlawyersandethicists.EQTAbringstogether theseverydifferentperspectivesinanaccessiblelanguage.

Theworkinggroupassumedthefollowingprinciplestoachieve integration:constructive,participatory,bottom-upandpractical. YouwillfindreferencetothevariouspointsofcontactatQDNLand theCenterforQuantum&Society.Inthisinitiative,allstakeholders areworkingtogetherinco-creation.

Wewishyoumuchinspiration,insight,andsuccessintaking thenextstep!

FreekeHeijman (boardmemberQDNL)

BartSchermer (chairmanworkinggroupEQTA)

DaniëlFrijters (co-chairworkinggroupEQTA)

ThemembersoftheEQTAworkinggroup

Q“Quantumtechnologyispromisingbutisstill initsinfancywhenitcomestoapplicability.”

FreekeHeijman

Co-founderQuantumDeltaNL,directorecosystem development,shecommissionedthecreation oftheEQTA.

“BecauseQuantumTechnologyisstillinthe phaseofresearchanddevelopment,itisdifficultto imaginehowitwillaffectsocietyinthenearfuture.For manypeople,companies,andorganizationsitisstilla longwayoff.Nevertheless,itisimportanttoprepare todayforthesocietalimplicationssothatwecan makethemostoftheopportunitiesandmitigatethe risks.Thisrequiresanactiveapproachtoworkwith endusersandcivilsocietyorganizationstoidentify theethical,legal,andsocietalimplicationsofpossible quantumapplications.Tothisend,theQDNLCenter forQuantum&Society'sExploratoryQuantum TechnologyAssessmentprovidesaconcreteroadmap.”

BartSchermer

ChairmanGuidanceGroupEQTA,Professor ofPrivacy&Cybercrime,LeidenUniversity andPartnerConsiderati.

"Quantumtechnologyhasapotentiallylarge impactonsociety.Bylookingattheethical,legal, andsocietalimpactsearlyinthedevelopment ofthistechnology,wehavethebestchanceof applyingitinthefutureinaresponsiblemanner"

DaniëlFrijters

Co-chairguidancegroupEQTA,MTmember ECP|PlatformfortheInformationSociety.

“FromtheCentreforQuantumandSocietyat QuantumDeltaNetherlands,Iaminvolvedin developinginsightsandtoolsaroundresponsible innovation.Quantumtechnologyispromising butisstillinitsinfancywhenitcomesto applicability.Forbalancedintegrationinsociety, itiscrucialtostartthedialoguetodayabout importantthemesaswellastoofferpractical toolsfororganizationstoguideinnovation.”

ThemembersoftheEQTAworkinggroup

CamilledeValk QuantumalgorithmdeveloperatCapgemini.

“AttheCapgeminiQuantumLab,Iexperiment withpartnerstobringapplicationsof quantumtechnologyonestepcloser.Ibelieve weneedtolookforbusinessprocesseswhere now(duetoinsufficientcomputingpower) manysimplificationsaremade,forexample infinanceorpharma.Quantumtechnology bringsanewrealitywherewecancalculate thethingswewouldnotevendaredream oftoday.”

FrankPhillipson

SeniorscientistatTNOandprofessorof ComputationalOperationsResearchat MaastrichtUniversity.Frankspecializesin optimizingtelecommunications,energy,and logisticsnetworks.Hisresearchfocuses onnewtechniquesforoptimizationand MachineLearningwithquantumcomputing.

“TNOiscommittedtotechnological developmentsforsocietalandeconomic challenges.Compliancewithlegislation–suchasprivacy-andethicsiscrucial.”

Q“Quantumtechnologyoffersmanyopportunitiesbut canalsohaveundesirableeffectsiforganizations arenotpreparedintime.”

EelcoVriezekolk,LizzyPolman

NationalInspectorateforDigitalInfrastructure.

“TheNationalInspectorateforDigital Infrastructure(formerlyRadiocommunications Agency)startedtoinvestigatequantum technologyin2021andtheimpactonsociety ofthediverseapplicationscurrentlyunder development,albeitindifferenttimelines. Quantumtechnologyoffersmanyopportunities butcanalsohaveundesirableeffectsif organizationsarenotpreparedintime.The ExploratoryQuantumTechnologyAssessment helpstoaccelerateawarenesswithin organizationsandprovidesastep-by-step guidetodiscussthesocietalandorganizational contextinwhichthequantumapplicationwill takeitsplace.ThisishowtheNetherlandswill remainsecurelyconnected.”

JelleAttema

AdvisorECP|PlatformfortheInformation Society.SecretaryEQTAguidancegroup.

“ThedevelopmentoftheEQTAhasbeen anexcitingjourney.IhopetheEQTAis goingtohelporganizationsrecreate whatIbelievetheworkinggroup succeededindoing:bringingvarious areasofexpertiseandperspectivesinto fruitfulandcreativeconversationwith thegoalofbeingabletoresponsibly capturethewonderfulopportunities ofquantumtechnology.”

GermainvanderVelden,LoulouHanna, SterreRomkema

MinistryofInfrastructureandWaterManagement.

“TheMinistryofInfrastructureandWater Management(IenW)workstowardsalivable, accessibleandsafeNetherlands.Byhavingearly insightintotheopportunitiesandthreatsofnew technologiessuchasquantumtechnology,IenW canproperlyanticipatethesetechnologies.For quantumtechnology,itmeansthatfornowwe focusonlimitingthefuturethreatsposedby quantumtechnology.Bydoingso,wewill continuetokeeptheNetherlandslivable, accessible,andsafeinthefuture.”

ElinedeJong

PhDcandidatePhilosophyandEthics ofQuantum-SafeCryptographyand co-authoroftheWRRreport'MissionAI.

Thenewsystemtechnology'.

“Inthereport'MissionAI',theWRRshowsthe waysinwhichasystemtechnologylikeAIis embeddedinsociety.Theseinsightsare alsorelevanttoourambitionswith quantumtechnology.Withanexplorationof thesocialcontext,theEQTAbroadensour viewofthefactorsthatcontributetothe successfulapplicationofthisnew technologyinpractice.”

ing.OscarCoversREMSc

CyberSecurityAnalystattheDutchBanking Association(NVB).

“IamaCyberSecurityAnalystandquantum enthusiast.Inmyrole,IanalyzeICT-related securityrisksforthefinancialsectorand—where necessary—coordinatetheresponse.”

JacquelineSchardijn

SeniorBusinessDeveloper,InnovationQuarter Zuid-Holland.

“Wemusttakeactiontodevelopandapply quantumtechnologyinourprovincesothat industryandresidentscanbenefitfromit. Thisisalsohowwecantakealeadingrole, bothnationallyandinEurope.”

HarryvanGeijn

DigitalAdvisoratMicrosoftNetherlands.

“AsDigitalAdvisor,Ihavebeensupporting Microsoft'smajorcustomersonthebusinessand ethicalaspectsoftechnologyforovertenyears. ThefocusisontheinnovativeapplicationofIT, theorganizationaldesignoftheinformation functionandtheimpactoftechnologyinterms ofethicsandsustainability.Inaddition,asa (self-proclaimed)nerd,Ireadbooksonnuclear physicsasachild.So,gettinginterestedin quantumtechnologyatanearlystagewas inevitable.Beingallowedtocontributetothe EQTAhasthereforebeenaniceoutcome.”

PieterVermaas

Researcherinphilosophyoftechnology,TUDelft

“IworkasaphilosopheroftechnologyatTU Delftontheethicalandsocietalimpactof quantumtechnologyandleadethicalresearch fortheCentreforQuantumandSocietyat QuantumDeltaNetherlands.Themajor challengesItakeuparebeingabletoassess thefutureapplicationsofquantumtechnology realisticallyandgivingstakeholderstheability tounderstandandassessthoseapplications.”

SeniorConsultantResponsibleTechat Considerati,co-authoroftheEQTA.

“TogetherwiththeResponsibleTechteamat Considerati,Iadvisecompaniesand organizationsonsocialandethicalaspectsof thedeploymentof(new)technologyanddata. Quantumtechnology,comparedtoAIfor example,isstillatanearlystageofdevelopment. Thatofferstheuniqueopportunitytoinclude socialandethicalaspectsinthedesignphaseof applications.Iseeitasakindofethicsbydesign.”

VisionaryAdvisor,KPN.

“KPN'smissionstatementis:'Wearecommitted toconnectingeveryoneintheNetherlandstoa sustainablefuture.'Thatiswhyitisimportant thatwewatchtechnologicaldevelopments thatcancontributetothatsustainablefuture, suchasquantumtechnology.TheEQTAhas becomeagreattoolforthat.”

MarianneSchoenmakers

RemcoHelwerda

MarkWiertsema

DigitalAdvisorMicrosoftNetherlands.

“TogetherwithHarryvanGeijn,Iamoneofthe foundersoftheQuantumTeamatMicrosoft Netherlands.Personally,Iamfascinatedby thepromiseanddynamicsofthetechnology. Itsextraordinarypropertiesallowustodo extraordinarythingswithit.AsMicrosoftworks tomakequantum(computing)technology available,wefeelresponsibilitytodosoinasafe andresponsibleway.TheNLQuantumTeamhas thereforesetitselfthegoalofhelpingsociety, organizationsandindividualstobereadyforthe adoptionofthisnewtechnology.Participatingin theEQTAisawonderfulwaytodothisandIhope thattheprojectwillcontributetosecurely fulfillingthepromisesofquantum.”

MauritzKop

TTLFFellowandVisiting"Quantum&Law"Scholarat StanfordLawSchool,StanfordUniversity,USA,and DirectorofAIRecht.nl,Netherlands.

“Itwasinspiringtoworkinamultidisciplinarysetting ontheworld'sfirstassessmenttoolforquantum technology.FromaquantumELSPI(ethical,legal, societal,political)perspective,Ico-wrotethesocietal, legal,andethicalframeworksoftheEQTA,witha focusonintellectualproperty,regulationandsocial embedding.Institutingarisk-basedlegal-ethical frameworkcombinedwithstandardization, certification,andtechnologyimpactassessmentover thelifecycleofquantum-drivensystemssuchas computers,sensorsandcommunicationnetworksis crucialtoensureresponsiblequantuminnovation. ThankstoECPandQDNLforbringingtogether allthecollaboratingparties!”

01 Therelationshipbetween EQTA,QuantumDelta Nederlandandother assessments

ThischapterconsidershowtheEQTArelatestoother assessmentsthatmanyorganizationsmaybefamiliar with,forinstance,theDataProtectionImpact Assessment(DPIA).

TheEQTAandQuantumDeltaNetherlands(QDNL)arealsorelated. Afterall,theEQTAislimitedinscopeand,whengoingthroughit, readerswillundoubtedlyhavequestions.ThesectiononQuantum DeltaNetherlandsaddressesthevariouswaysQDNLcanhelp readersanswertheirquestions.

HowdoestheEQTArelatetoother assessments?

Manytoolsandmethodsexisttoassessthenegativeimpactsofnew technologiesandservices.Consider,forexample,theDataProtection ImpactAssessment(DPIA)ortheHumanRightsandAlgorithms ImpactAssessment(IAMA).

TheEQTAisnotasubstituteforotherassessments,suchastheDPIA orIAMA,thatmaybeconductedinadditiontoorcomplementaryto thistool.Forexample,whenquantumtechnologyisusedtodevelop betterMachineLearningmodels,itmakessensetousetheIAMAin additiontothistool,whichspecificallylooksatthenegativeeffects ofalgorithms.

Essentially,themostimportantaddedvalueofthistoolliesin providinganearlyandstructuredapproachtotheconsideration oftheimpactofquantumtechnologies

EQTAandQuantumDeltaNederland

TheEQTAwaswrittenonbehalfofQuantumDeltaNetherlands (QDNL)andspecificallycommissionedbytheCentreforQuantum andSociety(CQS).ThecenterisdedicatedtoELSAtooling&research (ELSAisanabbreviationofEthical,LegalandSocietalAspects), awarenesscreationandthesocietalissuestowhichquantum technologycancontribute.

GoingthroughtheEQTAwilloftenraisequestionsfromorganizations aboutmanyaspectsofquantumthattheEQTAdoesnotaddress. TheCQSisthefirstportofcalltoaskthesequestionsandaskforhelp.

SummaryofQDNL’sactivities

CQSispartofQuantumDeltaNetherlands(QDNL).QDNL coordinateseffortsaroundquantumtechnologyintheDutch ecosystem.Thefollowingissuesarebeingaddressed: QuantumAwareness(onasocietallevel)

Quantum.Amsterdam (https://www.quantum.amsterdam/,or specifically: https://www.quantum.amsterdam/education/ workshops-and-training/)offersawarenesstrainingfromthe Quantum.Amsterdamhubasanetworkingorganizationto understandthetechnical,economicandsocietalimpactof quantumtechnology,withafocusoncomputing.

QuantumforBusiness (https://www.quantumforbusiness.eu/)is afieldlabwithintheQDNLprogramandtargetstheEuropean marketofcompaniesandorganizationsandaimstofacilitate accesstoknowledgeaboutquantumtechnologyandtheparties tocollaboratewith.

Co-creationsites

CentreforQuantum&Society (https://quantumdelta.nl/cqs/)is thecentralco-creationactivityfromtheQDNLQuantum&Society program.Avirtualandphysicalplacewherepartiesfromsociety, industry,government,andsciencecometogethertoworkonthe applicationofquantumtechnologyforthebenefitofsociety.

HouseofQuantum (https://www.houseofquantum.com).Thisisto becomeanorganizationofnationalphysicalspaceswithintheQDNL ecosystemwherememberscanwork,learn,andcometogether.

DeDELTAHub (https://quantumdelta.nl/our-hubs/).TheQDNL programhas5hubs(Delta,Eindhoven,Leiden,Twente,and Amsterdam)whereallkindsofco-creationactivitiestakeplace.

Applicationdevelopmentandsocietal impact

HetQuantumApplicatieLab (https://quantumapplicationlab.com/). AfieldlabwithintheQDNLprogram,wherevariouspartiesand quantumtechprovidersareworkingtodevelopusefulquantum computingapplicationsforendusers.Thismayinvolvesocietal issues,workingincollaborationwiththeCQS.

TheEQTAroadmap

Quickscan

TheQuickScanisdescribedinthesection‘EQTAinnutshell’ (page11) TheQuickScandevelopsaninitialpictureofwhatquantumtechnology willmeanforanorganization,theopportunitiesthatquantum technologyoffersanorganization,andthepossiblenegativeeffects.

TheQuickScanthenbroadlyexploreswhatisneededtoachieve responsibleapplicationandmanagenegativeimpacts,byweighing thevariousinterests(oftheorganizationitselfandofother stakeholders)andidentifyingthetechnical,social,legal,and ethicalboundaryconditions.

IftheQuickScanshowsthatanin-depthanalysisisrequired,the step-by-stepplandescribedinthischapterisimplemented.

Exploration

Step1:Socialframework

Thedeploymentofquantumtechnologyalwaystakesplacewithina largersetting:society.Aquantumapplicationmustnotonlyfunction technologically,butitmustalsoaboveallfunctioninsociety.Herewe aredealingwithissuesthatarenot(entirely)withinthesphereof influenceofindividualorganizations.Considerlegislation,infrastructure, andpublicopinion.So,ifwewanttoexplorewhatitwilltaketomake quantumtechnologywork,itisimportanttobeawareofthose factorsaswell.InthefirststepoftheEQTA,wethereforeconsider thesocialcontextofquantumapplications.

Byanalyzingthesocialcontext,weexpandourviewoftheroleof individualorganizations.Weshowwhichbroaderprocessesaffectthe applicationofquantumtechnology.Inadditiontochoicesabouttheir ownapplication,organizationscanalsohelpshapethoseprocesses. Furthermore,weshowthatindividualorganizationsarenottheonly playersdetermininghowquantumtechnologyfindsitswayinto practice.Organizationsarepartlydependentonotheractorsin thisregard.

Systemtechnology

Togaininsightintothesocialcontextinwhichorganizationsengage withquantumtechnology,wedrawupontheScientificCouncilfor GovernmentPolicy(WRR)reportonthetaskofArtificialIntelligence (AI).3 Inthisreport,theWRRanalyzestheembeddingofArtificial Intelligence(AI)insociety.

AI,likequantumtechnology,canberegardedas,whattheWRRcalls inthestudyasystemtechnology:4 atechnologythatenablesagreat dealofinnovation,inallkindsoffields,andthereforehasa‘systemic’

3https://www.wrr.nl/publicaties/rapporten/2021/11/11/opgave-ai-de-nieuwe-systeemtechnologie

Englishsummary: https://english.wrr.nl/publications/reports/2021/11/11/summary-mission-ai

impactonsociety.Examplesareelectricity,theinternalcombustion engine,andtheInternet.Basedonourexperienceswithprevious systemtechnologies,theWRRdrawsseverallessonsonhowto approachnewsystemtechnologies,suchasAI.Wecanalsolearn fromthepastinthecaseofquantumtechnology.

Incidentally,someworkinggroupmembershaveissueswithcategorizing AIandquantumtechnologyassystemstechnology.Theriskofthe label‘systemstechnology’isthatthereseemstobeadiscontinuity: thenotionthatattentiontotheimpactofatechnologyandtheneed toanalyzeitisonlyneedednow.Whereasthoseimpactsoftenoccur evenwhenprevioustechnologywasapplied.Emphasizingthe discontinuitycanleadtotechnology-specificregulationsthatwill regulateproblemswithnewtechnologybutwillnotregulatethesame problemswithexistingtechnology.TheattentiontheEQTAadvocates forsocialandethicalaspectsofquantumtechnologyisthereforea pleaforacriticalanalysisofexistingapplicationsofinformation technologyaswell.

Ifwewanttoembedanewsystemstechnologyinsocietyina responsibleandsuccessfulway,theWRRpointsoutthatfivethings areimportant:

• Counteringunrealisticperceptions(demystification).

• Creatingafavorablesocio-technicalecosystemcontextualization).

• Involvingstakeholders(engagement).

• Establishingregulatoryandguidingframeworks(regulation).

• Monitoringinternationalrelations(positioning).

4TheWRRfocusesonso-called‘systemtechnologies’:technologieswithabroadandprofound —inshort,systemic—impactonsociety.Examplesofsuchsystemtechnologiesareelectricity, theinternalcombustionengine,andthecomputer.Fromourexperienceswithprevioussystem technologies,theWRRdrawsseverallessonsforourdealingswithnewsystemtechnologies, suchasartificialintelligence(AI).Wecanalsolearnfromthepastinthecaseofquantum technology.

Regulation

QUANTUM APPLICATIONS

Perception

Stakeholders

Socio-technical ecosystem

Figure01

Fiveaspectsofthesocialcontextofquantumapplications Wecanseethesesocialtasksasfiveaspectsofthesocialcontextof quantumapplications(seeFigure01).Itisimportantfororganizations thatwanttoputquantumtechnologyintopracticehaveinsightinto thiscontext,becausethesuccessofanapplicationispartly determinedbyit.

Usingthefollowingquestions,theycanidentifythesocialcontext:

• Whataretheperceptionssurroundingquantumtechnology?

• Whatarethesocialandtechnicalconditionsforsuccess?

• Whoisimpactedbytheapplication?

• Whataretheapplicableframeworks?

• Whatistheinternationalcontext?

Onthenextpagesweexplainthesequestionsinmoredetailandlook athoworganizationscanworkwiththemthemselvestoshapethe

Whataretheperceptionssurroundingquantumtechnology? Demystificationisabouttheperceptionsurroundingatechnology. Oftentimes,manyideasdevelopabouthowanewsystemtechnology worksandwhatthattechnologyiscapableof.However,theseideas donotalwaysmatchreality.Thismaycauseproblemsinthe applicationofthetechnologyinpractice.‘Excessiveexpectations leadtodisillusionmentandill-consideredapplications,while exaggeratedfearsleadtoaversiontothetechnologyandfailure totakeadvantageoftheopportunitiesitoffers’,writethecompilers oftheWRRreport.

Thus,ifwewantpeopletobeopentoanewtechnologyandableto thinkabouttheopportunitiesandnegativeeffectsofapplications, itisnecessarytodemystifythetechnology.Whichmeansgettingrid ofthemythssurroundingitandfavoringarealisticviewofwhatthe technologycanandcannotdo.

Complexandpromising

Thecombinationofcomplexityandgreatpromisemakesquantum technologysusceptibletomythmaking.Oneexampleofquantum technologythateasilybecomesthesubjectofmythmakingisthe quantumcomputer.Theideaexistsattimesthataquantum computerwouldbesuperiortoaclassicalcomputerinallaspects. Thisisunfair:quantumcomputerspromiseanadvantagefora certaintypeofproblems.Inaddition,quantumtechnologyisstill unknowntomanypeopleandtosomeextentwillremain incomprehensibleforaverylongtime-evenforexperts.Thismay translateintoalackofinterestandafailuretodebatethe opportunitiesandnegativeeffectsinsociety.Atthesametime,not everyoneneedstoknowexactlyhowquantumtechnologyworks. Whatmattersisthatitsapplicationisnothinderedbyunrealistic perceptionsandthatpeopleareabletoparticipatewhenthinking aboutitsapplications.

Fororganizationsthatwanttoapplyquantumtechnology themselves,itisthereforeusefultofirstexaminewhatperceptions existandhowthesemayaffecttheintendedapplication.Itisalso importanttobealerttoone'sown(unintentional)contributionto perception,forexamplebyusingcertainwords.Next,itisimportant tothinkaboutthequestionofwhoneedstoknowwhat:whichgroups ofpeopleshouldbeabletothinkabouttheintendedapplication andthushavesufficientknowledge?Dependingontheanswer, organizationscanworkinternallyontherequiredknowledge,ormore broadlywithinsocietyalongwithotheractorsoncomprehension.

Question1 Perception

Whatistheperceptionsurroundingquantumtechnology?

AuxiliaryQuestions:

• Whatideasexistinsideandoutsidetheorganization aboutquantumtechnologyandhowmightthataffect theintendedapplication?

• Whichgroupsorindividualsshouldbeabletoparticipate intheapplication?Whatdotheyneedtoknow?

Whatarethesocialandtechnicalconditionsforsuccess?

Contextualizationfocusesoncreatingafavorablesocio-technical ecosystem.Thatis,anenvironmentinwhichbothsocialandtechnical factorspromotethefunctioningofanytechnology.Forexample,itis necessarythatthepeoplewhowillworkwiththetechnologyarewellequippedtodosoandthattheprocesseswithinanorganization matchthenewapplication(thesocialconditions).

Inaddition,thepresenceofsupportingtechnologiesandagood infrastructureiscrucial(thetechnicalconditions).TheWRRtherefore emphasizesthatifwewantatechnologytoreallyworkinpractice,

wemustnotonlylookattheperformanceofthetechnologyitself, butalsoattheenvironmentalfactorsthatsupporttheperformance. Asanexample,theWRRusestheself-drivingcar:itonlyfunctions properlyinpracticeiftheoccupantsinthecarandthecarsoffellow roaduserscanalsouseitproperlyandiftheenvironmentbecomes more'readable'forthecarthroughsmartsignage.

Conditionssocio-technicalecosystem

Thesetypesofsocialandtechnicalfactorsarealsocrucialwhen discussingthesocialcontextofquantumtechnology.Forquantum technologytoworkinpractice,supportivehardwareandsoftwareare needed.Forexample,quantumcomputersinvolvetheavailabilityof quantumchips,appropriateprogramminglanguagesandthe developmentofquantumalgorithmsforsolvingcertainproblems.

Experts5 expectquantumcomputingpowerandsimulatorsof quantumcomputerstobecomeavailableprimarilyasacloudservice. Forexample,Quantum-InspirefromQu-TechDelftoffersquantum computersas-a-service(see https://www.quantum-inspire.com/).

Inthatcase,successinpracticewilldependinpartonaccessto thosecloudservices.Creatingsuchconditionsisbynomeansalways withinthereachofindividualorganizations,buttheycancallothers toaccountoroffersupport.

Whenapplyingquantumtechnology,itisthereforeimportantto examinewhatthesocialandtechnicalconditionsareforsuccessin practice.Indoingso,organizationsshouldfirstaskthemselveswhat thequantumapplicationrequiresofthesocialenvironment:What mustthepeoplewhoworkwithitbeabletodo?Areadjustments neededinthewayofworkingwithintheorganization?

5Hoofnagle,C.,&Garfinkel,S.(2022). Lawandpolicyforthequantumage. CambridgeUniversityPress.

Inaddition,thetechnicalenvironmentmustbechecked:Whatkind oftechnicalecosystemdoestheapplicationassume?Howcan adjustmentstotheenvironmentimprovethefunctioningofthe application?

Question2

Socio-technicalecosystem

Whatarethesocio-technicalconditionsforsuccess?

Auxiliaryquestions:

• Whatmustthepeopleworkingwiththetechnologybe abletodo(skills)andareadjustmentsneededinthe waytheyworkwithintheorganization?

• Whatkindoftechnicalecosystemdoestheapplication presumeandhowcanadaptationstotheenvironment improveitsfunctioning?

Whowillbeimpactedbytheapplication?

Engagementisaboutinvolvingstakeholdersduringthedevelopment ofatechnologyandinimplementingandgatheringfeedbackonthat technology.Foratechnologytoberesponsiblyandsustainably embeddedinsociety,theWRRargues,itiscrucialto‘democratize’the technology,asitwere.Thismeansgivingdifferentgroupsavoicein thedesignandevaluationofatechnology.Asitoftenhappens, technologydevelopmentisdominatedbytechnicalconsiderations anddeveloperinterests.

Involvingstakeholdersinthedevelopment,implementationand evaluationofatechnologynotonlyallowsbetteranticipationof possible(undesirable)effects,butalsoincreasespublicsupport.6

Differentperspectives

Stakeholdersarepartofthesocialcontextofquantumtechnology. Thespecialistnatureofthetechnologyandtheassociatedhighcosts carrytheriskthatthedevelopmentofquantumtechnologywill belongtoasmallgroupofspecialists.

Ifwewanttomakefulluseofthepotentialofquantumtechnology andpreventundesirableeffectsasmuchaspossible,itisimportant thatdifferentgroupscancontributeideasabouttheopportunities andnegativeeffectsofquantumtechnology.Thiscanbedone,for example,bygatheringdifferentperspectivesandinterestsduringthe development,implementation,andevaluationofaquantum application.7

Fororganizationsthatwanttoimaginethesocialcontextinwhicha quantumapplicationwillemerge,itisthereforeimportanttoconsider whichgroupswillbeaffected.Inwhatwaywilltheybe‘impacted’by theintendedapplication?Andhowcanthosegroupsbeinvolved—in advanceandstructurally—sothatthereisinsightintotheimpactsof aquantumapplication?

6Seeforadetailedsourceonproactivelyanticipatingthesocialaspectofquantum: E.DeJong, OwntheUnknown:AnAnticipatoryApproachtoPrepareSocietyforthe QuantumAge,Digital Society,Quantum-ELSPITC,1, https://link.springer.com/article/10. 1007/s44206-022-00020-4

7Makingthetechnologyandformsof...accessibleisanimportantpartofQuantumDelta Netherlands'mission.Formoreinformation: seepage30: EQTAandQuantumDelta Netherlands

Question3 Stakeholders

Whowillbeimpactedbytheapplication?

Auxiliaryquestions:

• Whowillbe‘impacted’bytheintendedapplication, andhow?

• Howcanthesegroupsbeinvolvedindevelopment, implementation,andevaluation?

Whatregulatoryframeworksapply?

Regulationreferstoalltheregulatoryandguidingframeworksthat definethespacewithinwhichatechnologycanbedevelopedand applied.Newtechnologiesdonotusuallyemergeinavacuum.A varietyofframeworksoftenalreadyexistandcanbeapplied(after modification).Sometimes,however,atechnologycreates unprecedentedcircumstancesandnewrulesarecalledfor.Atthat point,weoftendonotknowexactlywhatkindofrulesareneeded becausewehavelittleexperiencewiththetechnology.Inthatcase, accordingtotheWRR,flexibleinstrumentssuchasstandardsand normsofferasolution.Regulationisthusabalancingactbetween creatingspaceandestablishingrulesthatframe,anddirect,the developmentandapplicationofatechnology.

Rulesofthegame

Regulatoryframeworksformthefourthaspectofthesocialcontext thatgovernstheapplicationofquantumtechnology.

Howquantumtechnologyrelatestoexistinglegalframeworksis discussedin Step3: Legalandethicalframework,likethose governingintellectualproperty.8 Inaddition,workisunderwayto developstandards,suchasthoseforpost-quantumcryptography andcybersecurity.Bothpresentandnewlydevelopingframeworks arepartofthesocietalcontext.Afterall,howquantumtechnology canbeappliedinpracticedependspartlyontheprevailingrulesof thegame.

Itisthereforeimportanttoconsiderhowanintendedapplication relatestoexistingframeworks.Whatregulationsapply?Theanswer tothatquestionmayalsobethatadequateregulationsarecurrently lacking,whichcouldjeopardizeissuessuchaslegalcertainty,and leadtoabuses.Someoftheframeworksthatorganizations encounterwhenapplyingtechnologyareprofessional:lawyers, accountants,doctors,civilservants,ornotariesaresometimes requiredtotakeoncertainresponsibilitiesthatmayconflictwiththe applicationoftechnology,orwhichcouldbeperformedmuchbetter withthehelpoftechnology.9

Newagreementsandsometimesnewinstitutionsareneededtomake someapplicationspossible.Take,forexample,settingupsystems withnewroles,suchasthatofasystemauthorityaimedatenabling organizationstoexchangesensitivedataeasilyandreliablywithin applicableframeworks.Developingtheagreementsandsettingup suchsystemsrequiresclosecooperationbetweenorganizations, regulators,andprofessionalorganizationssuchasauditors. Dependingonthetypeofframeworksneeded,organizationscan developthoseframeworksthemselvesorputthisontheagendaof otherprofessionalgroupsinvolvedinthisprocess.

8Seefortointellectualproperty:Aboy,M.,Minssen,T.&Kop,M. MappingthePatentLandscape ofQuantumTechnologies:PatentingTrends,InnovationandPolicyImplications. IIC53,853–882(2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40319-022-01209-3:

9Considersuchnow-forgottenanachronismsastherequirementofa‘wet’signatureonacontract,ortherequirementofphysicalpresenceofapersontoestablishidentity(preferablywith a‘photocopyofone'spassport’asproof),whilethepersonpossessesareliabledigitalproofof identitywithwhichtoproveone'sidentity.

AnimportantthemethatrecursinStep2isstandardization:inorder tobeabletoswitchtoothervendorsorserviceprovidersinthe future—withouthighcostssuchasreinvestment—itisimportantthat organizationsusingtechnologydevelophigh-qualitystandardsina timelymannertogetherwiththeproviders,whichcananticipate futuredevelopmentsandhavebroadsupport.

Question4

Regulatory

Whatframeworksapply?(Seealsostep3)

Auxiliaryquestions:

• Whatregulationsapplytotheintendedapplication?

• Aretheregapsthatcallfornewormodified frameworks?

Whatistheinternationalcontext?

Positioningisaboutrelationshipsontheinternationalstage.TheWRR showsthatthedevelopmentofanewsystemstechnologyisoften framedasaninternationalrace.However,thatframeissimplisticand misleadingbecauseitimpliesthatthereisonewinner.Inreality,the WRRargues,oneperson'sgainisnotnecessarilyanotherperson’s loss.However,itisimportanttothinkstrategicallyaboutone'sown internationalpositioninrelationtootheractors,especiallywhenit comestocompetitivenessandsecurityissuesregardingatechnology.

Althoughperception,thesocio-technicalecosystem,stakeholders, andregulationsallhaveaninternationaldimension,theinternational contextisalsoanaspectthatstandsaloneanddeservesattention. Duetoitsspecializednature,theresearchcommunityofquantum technologyishighlyintertwinedinternationally:expertsfromallkinds ofcountriesjoinforcestoachievebreakthroughs.Moreover,the developmentofquantumtechnologyisverycostly,whichiswhyonly asmallnumberofplayerscurrentlyplayadominantroleinthefield worldwide.Forthesereasonsalone,theapplicationofquantum technologyalmostalwayshasaninternationalcomponent.

Theinternationalplayingfield:sovereignty

Fortheanalysisofthesocialcontext,itisthereforenotonly importanttohaveaneyefortheinternationaldimensionof theaspectsdiscussedearlier,butalsotoexplicitlyconsiderthe internationalplayingfieldinwhichanorganizationoperates. Thatdimensionisincreasinglydominatedbysovereignty:the geopolitical(technological)self-determinationof(groupsof) countries,suchastheNetherlands,theEU,etcetera.Fromthat desireforself-determinationmayfollowexportandimport restrictions,geopoliticalrestrictionsonworkingwithpeopleand organizationsfromsomecountriesoutsideEurope,andrestrictions onforeigninterestsincompanyownership.

Thefocusanddesireforsovereigntyissometimesatoddswith theinternationalinterconnectednessoftheresearchcommunity.

Questionsthatariseinthiscontextare:whatplayersareinvolved intheintendedapplicationandwhatdependenciesmayarise? Doforeignactorshaveaccesstotheapplication,whatarepossible implications?

Question5

Internationalcontext

Whatistheinternationalcontext?

Auxiliaryquestions:

• Whatinternationalactorsareinvolvedintheintended application?Whatdependenciesmayarise?

• Doforeignactorshaveaccesstotheapplication?What arepossibleimplications?

Step2:Technologicalframework

Toidentifytheimpactofatechnologyapplicationonpeopleand society,itisimportanttodescribethemoregenericrequirementsof thetechnology.Quantumtechnologyisbecomingpartofapplications wheredataplayacentralrole.Thismeansthattherearegeneric requirementsforthefunctionality,reliability,andqualityofthe technology.Therearerequirementsforinteroperabilitywithother technology,forhowthetechnologyhandlesdata(identity, authenticationandauthorization,andcontroloverdata),andfor howthevaluessurroundingthathandlingofdataareinterpreted (e.g.,preventingmonopolycontroloverdata).

Question6 Qualityrequirements

Whatarethequalityrequirementsforthetechnology toachievethegoalsandbenefitsdescribed?

Thinkaboutfunctionalityrequirements:Whatcanthetechnologydo?

Whatfunctionsdoesthetechnologyoffer?Butalso,otherrequirements suchasrobustnessagainsterrors,theabilitytoanalyzeandrepair errors,securingsystems,flexibilityrequirementsandrequirementsfor manageabilityandthepossibilitiesforintegrationwithothertechnology.

Sustainability(suchasoriginandreuseofrawmaterialsandenergy consumption)alsoplaysarole.Check iso25010 forinspirationto establishacompletelistofrequirements.10 Thesequalityissuesare usuallyaddressedbyrequiringcertificationsfromthevendor

Question7 technicalrequirements

Whattechnicalrequirementsshouldbeimposedinrelation toprivacy,security,data,identity,authentication,and authorization?

10TheseareexamplesofrequirementstakenfromISO25010,acommonframeworkfor identifyinganddescribingthe(requirementsfor)qualityofsoftwareandsystems. Formoreinformation: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_25010

Whenaddressingtheseissues,thefollowingquestionsarise:

• What(technical)principlesshouldbeappliedtoprotectprivacy andprovidedatasubjectswithappropriateopportunitiesfor consentandcontrol?

• Whatauthenticationandauthorizationmechanismsareneeded togivethemanydatasubjectscontroloverthecollectionand useofdata?

• Howwillthereliabilityandsecurityofdatabeensured?

• Afterall,thepowerfulcomputingpowerofquantumcomputingwill requirealotofdata,withpartieshavingtomakedataavailableto eachother.Choiceswillhavetobemadeaboutwhichdatafallinto thecooperativepurviewandwhichintothecompetitiveone,and whichdatawillbeconfidential,andwhichwillbeopen.Joiningor developingmanagementorganizationsthatplayaroleinensuring thesecurity,privacyandqualityofdatamaybenecessary.

• Howcantherisksofincreasinginterconnectednessand dependenceonthirdpartiesintheapplicationofquantum technologybemanaged?

Q“Quantumtechnologyisbecomingpartof applicationswheredataplayacentralrole. Thismeansthattherearegenericrequirements forthefunctionality,reliability,andquality ofthetechnology.”

Note: importantpartsofthesegenericrequirementsfortechnology andhowtechnologyhandlesdata,securityandprivacywillbe regulatedbyEuropeanlegislationinthecomingyears.Assuch,there isastrongrelationshiptoStep3:thelegalframeworks.Consider theCybersecurityAct,theDataGovernanceAct,theAIAct,andthe GeneralDataProtectionRegulation.Implementingtheselawsoften requirescollaborationandfundamentaltechnicalchoices. Examplesoftechnicalprerequisitesfor privacy,security,andreliability Data

Dataisneededtoexploittheopportunitiesofquantumtechnology. InEurope,workisunderwayongenericprinciplesandarchitectures aimedatcollaboratingondatasuchas:IDS(International Dataspaces)11,Cathena-X12 andGaia-X13.TheNetherlandshoststwo successfulexamplesoftheseefforts:SCSN(theSmartConnected SupplyNetwork)whichfacilitates(confidential)informationexchange inthelargeglobalecosystemaroundBrainport,Eindhoven,14 and Ishare15 whichformanyyearsfacilitatesintensivedataexchangein thelogisticssector.

TheMinistryofInfrastructureandWaterManagementisworking withpartiesonanecosystemaroundmobilitydata16 basedon theseprinciples.Similarinitiativesexistinthefieldsofagriculture, healthcare,andenergy.

11 https://internationaldataspaces.org/

12 https://catena-x.net/en/

13 https://gaia-x.eu/

14 https://smart-connected.nl/nl

15 https://ishare.eu/nl/

16 https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/mobiliteit-nu-en-in-de-toekomst/ mobility-as-a-service-maas

Identity

Otherareassurroundingtheapplicationofquantumtechnology,such asidentitysolutionsthatallowtheresponsiblehandlingofpersonal data,areinthepipeline.ThinkoftheupcomingEuropeane-wallet andtheprinciplesofSelfSovereignIdentity.17

Informationsecurityandcontinuity

Quantumtechnologyisoftenacquiredasaservice.Theseservices willrunonsoftwarethatisconstantlybeingdevelopedandimproved, bynumerousparties.Also,datawillbecollectedandsharedbymany parties.Theresultisincreasingtechnicalinterconnectednessand interdependenceofdifferentparties.Thisrequirestargetedactionto managerisksaroundinformationsecurityandcontinuity.The financialsectoris(understandably)leadingthewayhere,withparties systematicallyexchanginginformationaboutrisks,measures,and theireffectivenessbasedontheInternationalStandardsfor AssuranceEngagements(ISAE).IntheNetherlands,partieswork togetherintheOnlineTrustCoalitionwiththeaimofapplyingthese principlestomanagerisksaroundinformationsecurityandcontinuity incomplexnetworks.18

Interoperabilityofdata

Finally,onthesubtopicofdatainteroperability,workisbeingdoneon theFAIR(Findable,Accessible,Interoperable,Reusable)principles. Theabilitytoautomaticallyunderstandandcombinedatafromso manydifferentsources,aswellaseffectivepossibilitiesforcontrol, requiresstandardizationofdatainteroperability.

17 https://magazines.rvig.nl/idee/2019/10/ssi

18 https://onlinetrustcoalitie.nl/en/

Question8

Futureproofinvestments

Whichpreconditionsshouldbesetonquantumtechnology toensurefutureproofinvestmentsandfreedomofchoice fororganizationsinfuture?

Future-proofinginvestmentsandfreedomofchoiceforthe organizationinfuture?

Withnewtechnology,thereisalwaysaphasewhensomeparties dominatethemarketbecausetheyarethefirsttobringan applicationtomarket.Animportantquestionanorganization mustconsideratthispoint:Whendoyoujumpin?Animportant considerationmaybethefuture-proofingofinvestmentsandthe likelihoodofvendorlock-inandthusthefreedomthatthe organizationcancontinuetomakeitsowntechnicalchoicesin thefuture.Afterall,manynewtechnologiesemploy‘proprietary’ standards,ownedbyaspecifictechnologydeveloper,whichmakes itdifficulttomovetoorintegratetechnologyfromothervendors.

Technologyusersshouldthereforeseekcooperationwithother usersandvendorsatanearlystagetoachieveopenstandardsfor quantumapplications.NEN,RoyalNetherlandsStandardization Institute,19 isinvolvedinmanyoftheseinternationalstandardization processes.NENcantaketheinitiativefornewprocesses(under certainconditions)andcanplayaroleinestablishingcontacts withstandardizationcommittees.

Technologysuppliersoftencooperateinstandardizationtoensure thatthestandardallowsforfuturedevelopmentsandfitstheir strategicapproach.Also,theveryexistenceofstandardsgives confidencetocustomersthatasolutionismature.Confidenceleads

todemandandisthereforegoodfortechnologydevelopment.In addition,theexistenceofstandardsgivesinnovatorstheopportunity toquicklyenteranexistingmarket.

Step3:Legalandethicalframework

Legalframework

Forthedeploymentofquantumtechnology,thelegalframeworks withinwhichanapplicationoperatesmustalsobeconsidered.Legal andethicalframeworksgohandinhand.20 Legislationissometimes ‘solidifiedethics’,whennorms,valuesandethicalprinciplesare transformedintolawsand(behavioral)rules.Thelegalframework thenprovidesacontextformakingethicalconsiderations.

However,ethicalconsiderationscanalsoexistintheirownright, regardlessofwhetherlegalframeworkswilleveremerge.For instance,choicesaroundsustainabilityoremployeebenefits.An organizationcanchoosetocommittospecificethicalgoals,even iftheyhavenolegalbasis,andbeheldaccountableforthem.Many organizationstaketheSDG(SustainableDevelopmentGoals)asa guidefortheirethicalchoicesandaccountforplansandprogress inthisareaintheirannualreport.

Makingethicaltrade-offsisalsonecessarywhenlegislationis inadequate.Withnewtechnologies,legislationeitherlagsbehind, orexistinglegislationneedstobere-examined.

20Seeforexample:M.Kop, EstablishingaLegal-EthicalFrameworkforQT, YaleJ.L.&Tech. TheRecord(2021). https://yjolt.org/blog/establishing-legal-ethical-framework-quantumtechnology

Ethicallyaligneddesign

Lawsandregulations

Valuesandnorms, ethicalprinciples

21

Legalframeworkssetconstraints.Whenconsideringtheuseof technology,therearealwayslawsandregulationsthatmustbe followed.Legalframeworksrestricttheroomformaneuver.Itis thereforerelevanttoconsiderlegalframeworksexplicitlyinaddition toethicalframeworks.Wedistinguishgenerallawsandregulations thatcanapplytoallsectorsandapplicationareas.Inaddition, thereistechnology-specificlegislationtoconsider.

Finally,thereislegislationthatissectorspecific.Theoverview providedhereislong,butnotexhaustive.Itprovidesinitialdirection inidentifyingrelevantlawsandregulations.

Generallegalframeworksinvolvelawsandregulationsthatapply regardlessofapplicationorsector.Examplesincludehumanrights,

21 https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/

Sourcefigure: https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/ wp-content/uploads/ead1e.pdf

Figure02 Therelationshipbetweenvaluesandnorms,lawsandregulationsand wellbeing/humanrights(IEEE,2017)

fundamentalfreedomsandeconomicorsocialrights,civillaw, criminallaw,administrativelaw,ortaxlaw.Welistsomeofthemhere.

Humanrights

Thetermsbasicrights,fundamentalrightsorhumanrightsareoften usedinterchangeably.Theyarelegalnormswhosepurposeisto assurecitizensofpersonalfreedomsandadignifiedexistence.They arerightsthatapplytoallpeople,regardlessofacitizen'snationality. Thereareseveralnationalandinternationalsourcesforthiscategory ofrights,suchas:

• InternationalCovenantonCivilandPoliticalRights(ICCPR)

• EuropeanConventiononHumanRights(ECHR)

• CharterofFundamentalRightsEU

• InternationalCovenantonEconomic,Socialand CulturalRights(IVESC)

• Theconstitution

Generaldataprotectionregulation(GDPR)

TheAVGistheDutchimplementationoftheEuropeanGeneralData ProtectionRegulation(GDPR).TheAVGcontainsspecificrulesfor theprocessingofpersonaldatabycompaniesandthegovernment. Amongotherthings,theimplementationoftheAVGhasstrengthened andexpandedprivacyrights.Organizationshavealsobeengiven moreresponsibilityinthisarea.Inaddition,thereisaseparate directivefordataprotectioninpoliceandjustice.Thesearethe PoliceDataAct(Wpg)andtheJudicialandCriminalRecordsAct (Wjsg).

Generaladministrativelawandgeneralprinciplesofgood governance

Publicbodiesmustcomplywithrulesofconductregardingcitizens andbusinesses.SomeoftheserulesarecontainedintheGeneral AdministrativeLawAct(Dutch:Awb),butthereisalsoso-called ‘unwrittenlaw’.ThisunwrittenlawiscalledtheGeneralPrinciplesof ProperAdministration(Dutch:Abbb).

Intellectualpropertyandpatents

Recenttechnologicaldevelopmentsandgeopoliticaltensionsleadto closescrutinyofthetopicofintellectualpropertyandpatents.For analysisofthetopicinthecontextofquantumtechnology,seethis footnote.22

Specificlegislationforquantumtechnology

Currently,thereisnolegislation(yet)specificallyregulatingthesocial opportunitiesandpreventionofnegativeimpactsofthedeployment ofquantumtechnology.Itisimportantheretodeterminewhetherthe quantumapplicationstandsaloneorisusedincombinationwithor forthebenefitofothertechnologies,suchasartificialintelligence(AI) orbiotechnology,forexample.

TherearealreadyspecificrulesaroundtheuseofAIanddata,as describedforexampleintheAVG.Also,inBrussels,theEuropean UnioniscurrentlyworkingontheEuropeanAIAct.Theproposedlaw dividesAIsystems,products,andservicesintofourriskcategories. Thefirstcategoryisprohibitedapplications,suchasgovernment-run socialscoringsystems.Thesecondriskcategorynameshigh-risk applications,suchasHRsystems.Thesetypesofsystemsaresubject tospecificlegalrequirements.

Furthermore,therearetworemaininggroupsofapplicationsthatare notexplicitlycategorizedas‘prohibited’or‘highrisk’,namely Limited Risk,and MinimalRisk.AstheriskoftheAIapplicationincreases, regulatoryrequirementsbecomemorestringent,orprohibited.23 An importanttooltoensureregulatorycomplianceofhigh-risksystems isCEmarking.Thiscertificationisrequiredpriortothemarket introductionofAIapplications.

22Aboy,M.,Minssen,T.&Kop,M. MappingthePatentLandscapeofQuantumTechnologies: PatentingTrends,InnovationandPolicyImplications. IIC53,853–882(2022). https://link. springer.com/article/10.1007/s40319-022-01209-3:

23FormoreinformationontheEUAIAct:MauritzKop, EUArtificialIntelligenceAct:The EuropeanApproachtoAI,TransatlanticAntitrustandIPRDevelopments (2021), https://law. stanford.edu/publications/eu-artificial-intelligence-act-the-european-approach-to-ai/

TheEUandUS

WhereasBrusselshastakentheleadinregulatingAIwithinEurope, Washingtonadoptedquantum-specificregulationfortheUnited StatesinMay2021intheformoftwoDirectives.24 Also,inMaythis year,a"nationalsecuritymemorandum"wasissuedbytheBiden Administration.Insodoing,ontheonehand,theU.S.wantstobetter facilitateitsownmarketleadershiparoundquantumtechnologyby encouraginginnovation.Ontheotherhand,itwantstopreventthe technologyfromfallingintothewronghandsandtherebythreatening economicstabilityandnationalsecurity.

AspartoftheNationalSecurityMemorandum,exportcontrolswillbe establishedforcertainquantumtechnologies.Italsoaimstoprevent intellectualpropertytheft(‘IPtheft’)andaddressandreducerisks aboutcybercrime.

TheAIAct'srisk-basedapproachiswellsuitedtoregulatingquantum technologyasmostquantumtechnologiesaredual-useapplications —meaningthattheapplicationscanbeusedforbothcivilianand militarypurposes,forexamplenuclearapplications(medicalisotopes versustheatomicbomb).Inaddition,theuniquepropertiesofquantum requireatailor-madeapproach.Itisthereforeexpectedthatthe EuropeanUnionwillproposelegislationspecifictoquantumtechnology withinafewyears,intheformofaQuantumGovernanceAct.25

Itisalsoconceivablethattherewillbeaninternationaltreatyin theformofaQuantumTreaty.Itisexpectedthatstandardization, certification,andlifecycleauditingbymeansofbindingExploratory QuantumTechnologyAssessmentswillplayanimportantroleinthis. Inaddition,becauseofthecurrentgeopoliticalsituation,itisquite possiblethattheEUwillalsoissueexportcontrols.Thiswilldirectly affectresearchandtradeinquantumtechnologyandmaterialsand thefragilesupplychainofsoftwareandhardwarestructures.Finally,

24Factsheet: PresidentBidenAnnouncesTwoPresidentialDirectivesAdvancingQT,White House (May4,2021). https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/ 05/04/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-two-presidential-directives-advancingquantumtechnologies/

25Foratransatlanticperspective:RegulatingQuantumTechnology, https://law.stanford.edu/ projects/regulating-quantum-technology/

itisexpectedthattherewillbetoughrequirementsforfunding quantumR&D. Proactiveanticipation

WhatdoesallthismeanforExploratoryQuantumTechnology Assessment(EQTA)users?Itisimportanttobeawareofthelegal, ethical,social,andpolicyaspectsofquantumtechnology.Thisisalso abbreviatedasQuantum-ELSPI(whereELSPIstandsforEthical, Legal,SocialandPolicyImplications).26 Thus,theEQTAtoolcanbe usedtoidentifycurrent-andfuture-legalrequirementsfortheuse ofquantumtechnologyandthusproactivelyanticipatethem.This appliesnotonlytolegalcompliance,butalsotointellectualproperty opportunitiesandresponsibilities(rightsandobligations).

Sectorandindustry-specificframeworks

Finally,therearespecificframeworksforsectorsthatareimportant toconsider,forexample:

• Legislationinthefinancialsector,forexampletheFinancial SupervisionAct(Dutch:Wft)andthePreventionofMoney LaunderingandFinancingofTerrorismAct(Dutch:Wwft).

• Telecommunicationslegislation(theTelecommunicationsAct).

• Legislationforpatientrightswithinhealthcare,forexample theMedicalTreatmentAgreementAct(Dutch:WGBO).

• Legislationformedicaldevicesinhealthcare(MedicalDevice Regulation).

Therearealso(international)lawsandregulationsinthefieldof productsafetythatmayberelevantinthedeploymentofquantum applications.ExamplesincludetheProductSafetyDirectiveandthe MachineryRegulation.

26ExamplesofQuantum-ELSPIquestionsrelevantfortheuseofEQTAcanbefoundhere: QuantumELSPI: Ethical,Legal,SocialandPolicyImplicationsofQuantumTechnology, DigitalSociety(SpringerNature)2021, https://link.springer.com/collections/eiebhdhagd

Medicalquantumapplications

Arecentexamplethatillustratesthediverselegalimpactofapplying quantumtechnologyisthe'quantum-infusedmedicaldevice' marketedinEurope.Moreover,thisalsofeaturesAI/MachineLearning andclassicaldata.Fromalegalpointofview,thisqualifiesasa quantum/AIhybrid.Thismeansthatinadditiontothegenerallegal frameworks,thevarioustechnology-specificframeworks(forAI,data, andquantum)apply.Inaddition,thevertical,sector-specific frameworks(inthiscaseHealthcare/Healthcare)willapply.

OncetheEuropeanlawsarepassed,thismeansthatonthese medicaldevicesthefollowingapplies(atleast):

• TheEUAIAct.

• TheQuantumGovernanceAct

• TherangeoflawsthatmakeuptheEuropeanStrategyfor Data(GDPR,FFD,DataAct,DataGovernanceAct,etc.).

• TheMedicalDeviceRegulation.

• TheDatabaseDirective.

• RelevantIPDirectives.

• Possiblycertainexportcontrolsasdescribedinthe WassenaarArrangement.

• Dutchlawsandregulations.

Pleasenote thatifyouaredoingbusinessintheU.S.orAsia,for example,locallawsapplythere.

Inaddition,theEQTAcanbeusedbyamultidisciplinaryteamtolook atwhatintellectualpropertyrightsariseandneedtoberegistered, suchaspatents,copyrights,andtradesecrets.Ifapplicable,the technologytransferagreementwithuniversitiesmaybereviewedas well.Optimizingthepatentportfolioincreasesthevalueofmedical devices.Additionally,counterfeitingcanbereduced,withhelpof enforcement.Ifthird-partyIntellectualPropertyisusedinmedical equipment,theEQTAreportwillindicatethatitmustbelicensed,to preventinfringementofthird-partyIP.YoucanusetheEQTAasa guidetoidentifytheaboveissues,creatingmoreawarenessinternally andexternallyaboutthelegalframework.

Complextrade-off:securityandprivacy

Inthecontextofquantumtechnology,itisrelevanttohighlightthe complextrade-offbetweensecurityandprivacy.Thiscomplexityis particularlyrelevantinthedevelopmentofapplicationsinthefieldof quantumcommunicationsandtheupcomingquantuminternet.

TheIntelligenceandSecurityServicesAct(Dutch:Wiv)andthe debatessurroundingit,aswellasthepassingoftheNetworkand InformationSystemsSecurityAct(alsoknownastheCybersecurity Act),ComputerCrimeIII,andtheArticle29WorkingGroup'sposition onencryption,showthatsecurityoftheInternet,communications andinformationisahighlyrelevantandcontestedtopic.Several interestsplayarolehere.Thepotentialdeploymentofquantum networksisnodifferent.

Ontheonehanditisimportantthatsensitiveinformationand communicationsofbothgovernmentsandcitizensaresecureand confidential,ontheotherhanditisdesirableorevennecessaryfor nationalsecurity—ortheinvestigationandprosecutionofcriminal offensesinsomecases—tobeabletointerceptcertaininformation andcommunications.

Appropriatemeasures

ThepublicdebateontheDutchWiv,theoutcomeofthereferendum ontheWiv,andtheincreasingusebycitizensofsecureVPN connectionsthatuseencryptionshowthatpeopleareincreasingly concernedwiththesecurityandconfidentialityofcommunications. Also,legislationsuchastheNetworkandInformationSystems SecurityActandtheGeneralDataProtectionRegulation(GDPR) requireappropriatemeasurestobeprovidedtosecurenetworksand data.Thiscouldinclude,forexample,encryption.

Ontheotherhand,providersofpublictelecommunicationsnetworks andpublictelecommunicationsservicesonlymaketheirnetworks andservicesavailabletousersiftheyareinterceptableunder Chapter13oftheTelecommunicationsAct.Anon-hackableformof theInternetthusseemsidealwithintheframeworkofonepieceof legislation,whileitmaynotbedesirablefromtheperspectiveofother legislation.

Ethicalframework

Ethicsisaphilosophicaldisciplineconcernedwiththestudyof‘doing therightthing’.Ethicsdoesnotofferachecklistofwhatisrightand wrongbutprovidesmethodologiesforarrivingatajudgmentabout whatisrightandwrong.Animportantgoalofethicalconsiderationis toensurethatthefinalquantumapplicationisinlinewithprevailing societalviewsofwhatisethical.ThepurposeofthisExploratory

QuantumTechnologyAssessment(EQTA)isnottotellyouwhatis andisnotresponsible.Itisuptotheusertoassessthis.However,the EQTAdoesprovideguidanceforarrivingatsuchanassessment.

Digitizationandnewtechnologies,suchasquantumtechnology, ArtificialIntelligence,andcloudcomputing,raiseethicalquestions.27 Theyoftentaketheformofaquestion.Forexample:Isitacceptable todeploythistechnology?Ethicalframeworksarerelatedtolegal frameworks.Lawsandregulationsgivecontexttotheleewayonehas whendeployingtechnology.However,theyarenotseparatefrom ethics.Socialvaluesaretranslatedinsocietyintonorms,laws,and rules.Applicablenormsandvaluescanthusleadtolawsand (behavioral)rules.

Wetreatlegalandethicalframeworksseparatelyherebecausethe frameworkshavedifferentdynamicsfortheuser.Inthelegal framework,thelaworregulationisthestartingpointfortesting againstthedesiredquantumapplication.Intheethicalframework, societalvaluesarethestartingpoint.Youcanreadmoreaboutthe legalframeworksintheprevioussections.Thedevelopmentoflaws andregulationstakestime,andislaggingbehindtherapidtechnical developments.Asaresult,thelegalframeworkoftendoesnotyet provideenoughguidanceandanethicalconsiderationcanbeuseful.

27InformationaboutECP'sApproachandaccompanyingGuidetoGuidanceEthicscanbefound at https://ecp.nl/publicatie/guidance-ethics-approach/

Q“Quantumtechnologyisstillunknownto manypeopleandtosomeextentwill remainincomprehensibleforavery longtime—evenforexperts.”

TheQuantumComputingGovernance Principles

TheWorldEconomicForum(WEF)providesaguideforanalyzingand framingthetranslationofethicalconcernsinthecontextofquantum computingintogovernance:TheQuantumComputingGovernance Principles(2022).28 Assuch,thisappliesonlytoquantumcomputing andnottotheentirefamilyofquantumtechnology.

Quantumcomputingstakeholders

Toidentifyimpactareas,WEFfirstidentifieskeystakeholdersbased ontheirinterests.Belowisanexampleofdifferentstakeholdergroups intheimplementationofatechnology.

Itthenidentifieskeycorevaluesandthemes.Withineachtheme, objectives,opportunities,andnegativeimpactsareidentifiedthat togetherformthebasisfortheformulationofprinciplesand associatedactions.

Figure03 Quantumcomputingstakeholders(Source:WorldEconomicForum)

Governments Academics and universities International organizations

Corporations andprivate entitiesthat areusingthe technology

Corporations andprivate entitiesthatare developingthe technology

Developers (individuals) Consumers (individuals)

Corevalues

IntheWEFreport,theauthorsidentifysomecorevaluesthatshould formthebasisforthedevelopmentofquantumtechnology.TheWEF statesthatitisimportantforstakeholderstoconsiderthesecore valueswhendevelopinganapplication.

BelowwelistthemostimportantcorevaluesfromtheWorld EconomicForum(WEF)report:29

ContributingtotheCommonGood

Conductananalysisofhowtheintendedapplicationofquantum technologycancontributetothewellbeingofsociety.Theapplication shouldbeharnessedtobenefithumanity.

Accountability

Theapplicationmustbedesignedandimplementedsothatan organizationcanbeheldaccountableforitsimpactsandthe organizationisabletomanagethoseimpacts.Thismeansmitigating negativeimpactsandenhancingopportunities.Itisnotjustaboutthe designofthetechnology,butalsoitsuseandresults.Ontheother side,societyhassetupinstitutionsthatimposesanctionson organizationsthatevadethisaccountabilityorfailtoactwhenthe consequencesarenegative.

Inclusivity

Whenassessingtheimpactoftechnologyandanalyzingitspotential contributiontosociety,organizationsshouldstriveforinclusiveness. Thisshouldincludeadiverserangeofstakeholderviews.Thegoalis meaningfuldialogueandtoavoidoverlynarrowdefinitionsofwhat mightbeconsideredharmfulorbeneficialusesoftechnology.

29ForafulloverviewoftheWEFreportcanbefoundhere: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/ WEF_Quantum_Computing_2022.pdf

WEFQuantumcomputinggovernanceprinciples

Themesandcross-cuttingcorevalues

Equitability

(Source:WorldEconomicForum)

Developersandusersofquantumtechnologyshallensurethatthe benefitsofthetechnologyanditsimpactaredistributedfairlyand evenlyamongdifferentgroups.Particularconsiderationisgivento anyspecificneedsofvulnerablepopulationstoensureequitability.

Figure04 Quantumcomputinggovernanceprinciples

Non-maleficence

Ensurethatallstakeholdersusethetechnologyinasafe,ethical, andresponsiblemannersothatthetechnologydoesnotcauseharm. Allstakeholdersensurethatthetechnologydoesnotendanger people,intendedorunintended.Toensurethatnoharmiscaused, dataonimpactshouldbecollectedsystematically.Forexample,an organizationmightbedoingwhatitissupposedtodo—according tolegalobligations.However,inviewofthisvalue,thatdoesnot relieveanorganizationofthedutytocheckormonitortheeffect ofactionstaken.ConsiderthecasesoftentargetedbytheNational Ombudsmanor TheKafkaBrigadeFoundation —inwhichorganizations complywiththeirlegaldutiesandcarryouttheirobligations,but entirelyunintentionally,stillcauseharm.Thisvaluemeans,for example,thatorganizationsmustgatherinformationaboutthe impactoftheiractionsonstakeholdersandintervenewhenthat impactisunintended.

Accessibility

Knowledgeofquantumtechnologyandaccesstofacilitiestoapply thetechnology(think quantumcomputing-as-a-service)mustbe widelyaccessibletosociety.Thisvalueincludesthedevelopment, application,anduseofthetechnology.Toalignwiththisvalue, measuresareneededaroundstandardization,preventingmonopoly positionsordependenceonasinglepartyorcountry.Themarket mustbedesignedtoallownewentrantstoenterthemarket,withnew servicesorproductsusingquantumtechnology.

Animportantaspectofaccessibilityisthatquantumtechnology eventuallybecomesaffordableandusablebyallwhohaveaninterest init.Thisprinciplemayconflictwiththeinterestsofgovernments (militarystrategicpotentialofquantumtechnology)andlarge partieswhohavetheinvestmentcapacitytotakeoverandcontrol themarket.

Thisprinciplerequiresgovernmentregulation,agreementsonbeing abletoshareandreusedataandtheeffectivemanagementand controlofdatabystakeholders.However,italsorequiresawareness onthepartofpurchasingthatselectingfromalargeandcheap vendorneednotbeinthelong-terminterestoftheorganization itself,asectororsociety.

Transparency

Users,developers,andregulatorsarealwaystransparentabouttheir purposeandintentionsregardingquantumtechnology.

Otherethicalframeworks

Ofcourse,theWEFPrinciplesisnottheonlyethicalframeworkyou canapplytoquantumtechnology.AswesawearlierwithAI,many quantumethicsinitiativesarecurrentlyunderdevelopment. Moreover,ethicsisdynamic,culturallysensitive,andcontextspecific. Youcandecidewhichethicalframeworkyoufindmostappropriate withinthecontextofyourapplicationofquantumtechnology,aslong asthereisaclearscientificmethodologyunderlyingsucha framework.

Moreover,itmustcomefromareliablesource(suchastheUN,OECD, Asilomar,ortheIEEE).Anethicistspecializingintechnologywillbe abletoassistyouinthisregard.30 Whatiscrucialhereisthatthe ethicalframeworkisasquantumspecificaspossible,supplemented byprinciples,values,goals,andthemesrelevanttoeachsystemor technology.31

30Thisagainemphasizestheimportanceofdiscussing/implementingEQTAinmultidisciplinary teams.

InPractice Step4:Stakeholderdialogue

TheEQTAdoesnotprovideachecklistofwhatisrightandwrong,or whatisallowedorwhatisforbidden.Theframingofthe‘rightor wrong’ofatechnologymayleadtoitscompleteembraceor condemnation.Thiscouldcreatetheimpressionthattechnologyand societyareopposedtoeachother,wheretheyareextensively interconnected.Technologycanbringbenefitstosociety,forexample byimprovinghealthcare,whileatthesametimeproducingnegative impacts,forexamplearoundprivacy.Ratherthanjudgingtechnology initsgenerality,itmakesmoresensetoguidetheapplicationofa particulartechnologyinaspecificcontextinanethicallysound manner.

TheEQTAtakesthiscloseinterconnectednessoftechnology,people, organization,andsocietyasitsstartingpoint.

IntheQuickscan,thepurposeofthedialogueistoquicklyformaview whichaspectsarerelevantandwhetheramorepreciseanalysisis needed(afterthedialogue,step4,thereadergoesbacktostep1).

Thereaderwhohasgonethroughsteps1,2and3hasnowidentified areasofconcernfromdifferentperspectives:social,technical, organizational,legal,andethical.Thisfourthstepbringstogether theseconcernsandrequirements.

Themethodologyusedforbothisthatofdialogue,inwhichdifferent people(expertsinrelevantfields,endusers,managementandthose intheorganizationwhomustworkwiththetechnology)enterthe creativeconversationtotranslatetheseconcernsandrequirements fromoftenverydifferentandusuallyseparatedomainsintoconcrete approaches.

Guidanceethicsapproach

Figure05 Guidanceethicsapproach

ApproachtoGuidanceEthics

ThedialogueusestheApproachtoGuidanceEthicstobringtogetherall thedifferentaspectsandinterconnectednessandprovidesa(desirable) direction.Thischangesthequestionfromwhetheratechnologyis responsibletohowwecandevelopandusethetechnologyresponsibly. Inguidanceethics,thefocusisnotthetechnologyasawhole,butthe specificapplication.Hereitisimportanttodescribethecontextof thetechnologyapplicationasconcretelyaspossible(instep2ofthis step-by-stepplanastarthasalreadybeenmade).

Themoreconcretetheapplicationcanbedescribedinthecontext, themoreaccuratelytheimpactonpeopleandsocietycanbemapped out(phase1).Itisthenimportanttoidentifyallthoseinvolvedin theapplication,aswellasthepositiveandnegativeeffectsthatthe technologyapplicationhasonthoseinvolvedandthevaluesthat areatstake(phase2).

Finally,itisimportanttonameconcreteapproaches.Thisfocuses onwhatmeasurescanbetakentomitigatenegativeeffectsand/or optimizepositiveeffects.Thesemayincludemeasureswithinthe technologyitselfbutmayalsoincludeadjustmentsinthecontext orimprovementsintheuseofthetechnology(phase3).Itisbestto discusstheseissuesinadialogueformatinwhichallstakeholders participate.32

Step5:Considerationsandassessment

Tomaketrade-offs,severalprovenmechanismsfromthelegal toolboxcanbeused:effectiveness,necessity,subsidiarity,and proportionality.Thesetoolsarealsoveryusefulformakingtradeoffsaboutthetotalityoflegal,social,andethicalimpact.

Effectiveness

Effectivenessrequiresassessingwhethertheproposedactionwill sufficientlyachievethegoalyouhaveinmind.Thisthereforerequires foresight.Howlikelyisitthatthedeploymentofthequantum applicationwillactuallyachievethestatedgoal(orgoals)?

Necessity/subsidiarity

Inassessingwhetheraquantumapplicationisnecessaryand subsidiary,alltoolsavailabletoachievethestatedgoal(s)must beconsidered.Itmustthenbedeterminedwhethertheintended applicationistheleastintrusivemeansofachievingthatgoal(s).

Proportionality

Thefinalstepintheassessmentistodetermineproportionality.

Thequestionofwhetheranapplicationisproportionateisrelatedto theimpactofthequantumapplicationontheindividual,versusthe importanceofthesocietalgoalsbeingpursued.Inotherwords,itisa

32ApproachGuidanceethics: https://ecp.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Guidance-ethicsapproach.pdf

trade-offbetweentheimpactonindividualsontheonehandandthe interestbeingpursuedontheother.Overall,foramoreimportantgoal, moreispermissible.

Step6:Commitmentandaccountability

Itisadvisabletorecordtheoutcomesofthestepstaken.First,this servesasreferenceandassuranceofdecisionsmadeforthedesign andfurtherdevelopmentoftheapplication.Inaddition,recording thestepstakencanhelptobettersubstantiatedecisionsand considerations. Annex02 providesanoverviewofdocumenting theoutcomesofthestepsandconsiderations.

Step7:Feedbackandperiodicevaluation

Thefinalstepfocusesonfeedbackandevaluation.Chancesarethat yourquantumapplicationisstillunderdevelopment.Therefore,itis advisabletoperiodicallyreflectontheethicalandsocialjustification ofthetechnologyapplication.Regularevaluationcreatesafeedback loopthatimprovestheapplicationofquantumtechnologyand makesitmoreeffective.Inthisstep,alsoclarifythehowyouintend toachievethisfeedbackloop.

“QuantumTechnologysets newqualityrequirements fortechnology”

03 Quantumtechnology examples

Althoughquantumtechnologyholdsgreatpromise,many applicationsarestillinaresearchorexploratoryphase. Developmentsinquantumtechnologyaremostlytaking placeinalaboratoryenvironment,fornow. However,therearealsomoreandmoreideasandinitiativestoapply quantuminpractice.Incaseyoudonotyethaveaconcreteideaof thepotentialapplicationsofquantumtechnology,inthislastsection webrieflyexamineanumberofquantuminitiativesfrompractice.

Manyorganizationsaretakingstepstoacquirecompetenciesinthe fieldofquantumtechnology.Largerorganizationswilloftenhave teamsdedicatedtoinvestigatingopportunitiesandpotentially negativeimpactsofnewtechnologies.Inmanycases,theyare lookingathowquantumtechnologycanbeusedtoachievetheir goals.Inaddition,agrowingnumberoforganizationsseequantum technologycomingtheirwayandaresometimesconcernedabout

thenegativeimpacts.Forinstance,theremaybeissuesregarding encryption.

InthefinalpartoftheExploratoryQuantumTechnologyAssessment (EQTA),welookatexamplesoforganizationspreparingforquantum technology.Someapplicationsarenearathandandrequireconcrete actionalready.Otherapplicationsareevenfurtherawaywith organizationsmakinginitialexplorationsintothepossibilities(see page93: Whatcanquantumtechnologydo?)Howfaralongdifferent typesofapplicationsare).

Becauseconcreteapplicationsarealsostillintheirinfancy,weare notyettalkingaboutusecasesorscenarios,butratherexamples.In thefollowingsections,therefore,youwillfindsomeexamplesof organizationspreparingforthearrivalofquantumtechnology.How aretheytakingadvantageoftheopportunities?Andhowarethey preparingforanynegativeeffects?

Quantumsensingandwaterquality

TheMinistryofInfrastructureandWaterManagementisclosely followingthedevelopmentofquantumtechnology.First,theministry isfocusingonscenariosformakingthegovernmentquantumsecure. Inaddition,theministryislookingattheopportunitiesofquantum technology:aspecialteamiscurrentlyexploringthepossibilitiesfor applyingquantumtechnologyformonitoringsurfacewater.

Surfacewaterqualityisnowlargelymeasuredbytakingsamples, whicharethensenttothelaboratory.Measurescanthenbetaken basedontheresults.Inaddition,itisnotpossibletomeasureall chemicalcompounds.Thismakesitchallengingtotaketimelyand appropriateaction,especiallyinthecaseofpotentialpublichealth hazards.

Governmentsandwatercompaniesareresponsibleforwaterquality. Ifgovernmentsandwatercompaniescannotperformthistask properly,itcanleadtothreatstopublichealth,thereductionoffood production,theblockingofeconomicgrowthand,finally,reputational damage.Dueinparttointensivelanduse,thehighpopulationdensity intheNetherlands,anddischargetowaterofchemicalssuchas PFAS,thewaterqualityoftheNetherlandsisunderpressure.Major pollutionsourcesthatneedtobeaddressedincludemanureand pesticidesfromagriculture.Contaminatedwaterisnotsuitableas drinkingwaterbecauseofadversehealtheffects.Anadditional problemisthatitisdifficultandcostlytomakethewatersuitablefor humanconsumption.

Mappingdistributionofpollution

QuantumtechnologycombinedwithArtificialIntelligence(including MachineLearning),sensorsandsimulationsmaybeabletohelp provideinsightintopollutionandhowpollutionspreadsthrough water.

Scientistsarecurrentlyworkingonhyper-sensitivequantumsensors thatcanmeasureinrealtimewhichsubstancesorchemical compoundsarepresentinaliquid.

MachineLearningisalreadybeingusedtobuildmodelsthatcan predictdispersionofsubstancesinsurfacewater.Itisexpectedthat quantumcomputingcan(eventually)makeMachineLearningmore powerfulandfaster.

Thisway,quantumtechnologycouldmakeasignificantcontribution towaterquality.Forexample,thistechnologymayprovidemuch betterunderstandingofwaterqualitywhilekeepingthecostsof waterqualitymonitoring,watertreatmentandenforcement manageable.

Pilotsecurecommunicationnetwork PortofRotterdam

TheportofRotterdamisexperimentingwiththeapplicationof quantumtechnology.Indoingso,theportseesopportunities especiallyinthefieldofsecurecommunication.Amongotherthings, theportauthoritywantstoexperimentwithaquantumnetworkto communicatesecurelywithvarioususers.Thisincludes,forexample, communicationwithharbormastersandcustoms.Thisway,theport authorityhopestopreventmisuseofitscriticalinfrastructure.

Securingcommunicationsystemscanincreasethesafetyofseagoingvesselsandimprovetheresultingeconomictraffic.

TheportofRotterdamrepresentsanimportantpartoftheDutch economy,handlingnearly15millionseacontainersayear.Thismakes itoneofthelargestportsintheworld.Thetotaleconomicadded valueoftheportis8.2%ofDutchGDP(63billioneuros)andemploys morethan500,000peopledirectlyandindirectly.

Substantiallyincreasesecurity

TheportauthoritymanagesacriticalinfrastructureonwhichDutch societyishighlydependent.Indoingso,theportauthorityuses crucialdatanecessaryforthesafetransitofships,people,andcargo. Thisincludes,forexample,measurementofwaterlevels.Ifthiscanbe tamperedwithbyhackers,theconsequencescouldbedevastating.

Byusingquantumproperties,itispossibletodetectwhetherkeys havebeeninterceptedduringtransportoverthenetwork.Those secretkeysarethenusedtoencryptinformationatthesenderand decryptitatthereceiver.Theencryptedinformationisotherwise transmittedoverthe‘regular’Internet.

Basedonthisnewtechnology(theprotocolwasalreadydevelopedin 1984,33 butapplicationinpracticeonlyfollowedinthelastdecade 34) datacanbeexchangedbetweenaselectednumberofpartiesinthe portinaprotectedenvironment.ThePortofRotterdamAuthority, Portbase(aninitiativeoftheportsofRotterdamandAmsterdam thatdigitallyconnectscompaniesandorganizationswiththeports) andseveralnauticalserviceproviderswillparticipateinthetest. Thepurposeoftheexperimentistofurthervalidatethetechnical capabilitiesofthesystem.Thestrengthofthechosensetupisthe easewithwhichitcanbeexpandedtoincludemanymoreusersat relativelylowcost.

Preparingquantum-secureencryptionin thegovernmentandfinancialsector

Asmentionedabove,therearemanyorganizationsthataredealing withquantumtechnologyinwaysotherthanapplyingthetechnology themselves.Forexample,quantumcomputingmayeventuallycause thecryptographycurrentlyusedinmanyInternetprotocolsto becomeinadequate.Forthisreason,thereisincreasingattentionto quantum-securecryptography.Thatis,cryptographictechnology thataquantumcomputerisunabletocrack.Itsometimesseems paradoxicalthattoday'sordinarycomputersandphonescanalready performquantum-secureencryption:quantum-securecryptography doesnotrequirequantumcomputers.

TheU.S.NationalInstituteforStandardsandTechnology(NIST) recentlyselectedencryptionmethodsthatcannotbecrackedbya quantumcomputer.Thesemethodsarebeingtestedworldwideand willeventuallyleadtoastandardforquantum-securecryptography.

Severalorganizationsarealreadybusypreparingforamigrationto quantum-safeencryption.Thisincludesthecentralgovernment.This isdonetoprotectagainstso-called‘storenow,decryptlater’attacks. Hackersstoretheencryptedconfidentialinformationnow:‘storenow’ —oncetheencryptioncanbecrackedwithaquantumcomputer,the informationisthendecrypted:‘decryptlater’.Tomakethistypeof attackmoredifficult,thegovernmentisworkingonadatamigration plantoprotectstatesecretsandotherinformationthatneedstobe protectedforlongerperiodsoftimebyencryptingitwithquantumsecureencryption.

Jointapproach

Agovernment-wideplaniscurrentlybeingdevelopedtocollectively addressthisthreat.Thegoalisaquantum-securegovernment.The DutchBankingAssociation(NVB)isalsoworkingwithbanksinthe Netherlandstoraiseawarenessaboutthepossibilitiesandnegative effectsofquantumtechnologywithinthefinancialsector.

AmajorfocusisATMs:theyhavealifespanofmorethan10yearsand mustbepreparedtorunnewencryptionmethodsthatarequantum secure.Thus,theNVBregularlyholdsseminarsonthistopicand varioustrainingcourseshavebeendevelopedforbankemployees andmanagersinthefinancialsector.TheNVBalsomaintains contactwithitscounterpartsabroadonthisissue.Afterall, implementationofnewstandardsrequiresinternationalcooperation.

Exploringquantumtechnologyinthe financialsector

Besidestheawarenesssurroundingthenegativeeffectsofquantum technologyinencryption,casestudiesarealsobeingdevelopedinthe financialsectortoexplorethepossibilitiesofquantumcomputing.

Theyarelookingattheoptionofusingquantumalgorithmsfor optimizationtobetterpredictinterestratesinstocktrading. Quantumcomputingcanalsoofferinterestingapplicationsin optimization,forexampleinportfoliomanagementandMachine Learning.35

Thedevelopmentinthefieldofsignificantlymoreaccurateandfast atomicclocksandoscillators(circuits)willenablemuchfasterglobal trading.

Inaddition,quantumalgorithmsforoptimizationand(MonteCarlo) simulationsonquantumcomputerscouldpotentiallyplayarolein detectingsuspicioustransactionsundertheAntiMoneyLaundering (AML)legislation—inthefuture.

Secureauthenticationandauthorization

Anotherimportantissueisthepossibilityofsecureauthentication andauthorizationusingquantumtechnology.Quantumtechnology offersnewmethodsofencryption(seetheearlierexampleon page 78: PilotsecurecommunicationnetworkPortofRotterdam).In addition,therewillbenewmethodsforunambiguouslydetermining whetherdataisbeingexchangedwiththerightmachineandwhether thatmachineisbeingoperatedbytherightperson.

35Forinstance,optionpricingenotherapplications(Orús,Román,SamuelMugel,andEnrique Lizaso. Quantumcomputingforfinance:Overviewandprospects.ReviewsinPhysics4(2019): 100028.)- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revip.2019.100028

ExploratoryQuantumTechnologyAssessment

Quantumapplications

Advertisementstrategy Recommendersystems Consumerbehaviour

ICmanufacturing&desing Material(recycling)management Supplychainmanagement

Aerospacematerialdesign Structuralanalysis Moleculesimulations

Quantum applications

Catalyst&enzymedesign Personalisedmedicines Genomicanalysis

Portfoliooptimisation Frauddetection Tradingstrategies

FINANCE

LOGISTICS

Cybersecurity Operationsoptimisation Dataprocessing

SmartGridoptimisation Oilwelloptimisation Seismicimaging

Trafficsimulation E-chargingoptimisation Autonomousdriving

Timetabeldesign Ascendingphasesimulation Loadoptimisation

DEFENSE

MEDICAL &PHARMA MATERIAL SCIENCE INDUSTRY MARKETING

Quantumtechnologyinthetelecomsector

Thetelecommunicationsindustrywillbeaffectedbyquantum technologyinseveralways.Inthissection,welistsome developments,intheareasofquantumsensing,quantum communications,quantumcomputingandquantumencryption.

Quantumsensing

Firstandforemost,thenewgenerationsofquantumsensors—and atomicclocksinparticular—willsoonbecomepartofthe infrastructure(TechnologyReadinessLevel(TRL)6:experimentsin therelevantenvironment.See page90 forfurtherexplanationofTRL). Asequipmentinthenetworksoperatesmuchmoreaccuratelyandat higherclockspeeds,andcanalsobesynchronizedaccurately, transmissioncapacitywillalsoincrease.

Indeed,amajorlimitationtothecurrenttransmissioncapacityand processingcapabilityofequipmentistherelativelyinaccurate measurementoftime.Thecomponentsofdevicesandinnetworks aretunedtoeachotherbyclockpulses:witheach"tap,"acommand isexecuted.Thedatapacketsaregiven(relativelyimprecise)time stamps.Asthetimepulsesbecomemoreexact,thefrequencyof commandexecutioncanalsoincrease,andthetimestampsalso becomemoreaccurate.

Inthepast,thepaceofeventswasdeterminedbytheclocktower thatstruckonceeveryhour,andatalaterstageonceeveryfifteen minutes.Nowthepaceisdeterminedbyminutes:everyonehasa clockthatisaccuratetotheminute.Thesameappliestodevices:the moreprecisethetimemeasurement,themorefrequentthepulses andthusthesynchronization.

Sensitivequantumgravitysensorswillallowmuchmoreaccurate mappingofthesubsurfaceforinfrastructuremaintenanceand construction(tlr4).36

Newgenerationantennas

Quantumtechnologymayinfutureenableanewgenerationof antennas37 thatisnotonlymanytimesmoresensitive,but,inthelong run,mayalsobesimpler,cheaper,andmorerobust(thisapplication hasthelowestreadinesslevel,trl1:theoperationoftheprinciplehas beendemonstratedinalaboratory).Itisexpectedthatthe applicationofquantumsensorswillfindaplacein,forexample,radio technology(andthustheradiospectrum)andautonomous navigation.

Quantumsensorsareexpectedtobemanytimesstrongerandmore accuratethancurrentreceivingdevicesduetotheirgreaterrange.A relatedexpectationisthatquantumsensorswilltherebyenhance existingapplicationsacrosstheentirebandwidthoftheradio spectrum.ThisappliesbothtoGNSS(GlobalNavigationSatellite System)locationdeterminationandtomobilecommunications betweendevices.

Inaddition,theapplicationofquantumsensorscouldreplaceexisting radioapplicationsorintroducecompletelynewusesoffrequency space.Ultra-sensitive,low-energyquantumsensorsareexpectedto beinstalledinvariousplacestomeasureallkindsofpropertiesofair, water,andsoil.Thiswillleadtosignificantchallengesforthetelecom infrastructure:safelytransportingallthisdatawillrequiremajor investments.

36 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04315-3, https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/ 2018/06/popular-physicsprize2012.pdf

37 https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2020/04/30/big-atoms-make-small-supersensitive-quantum-receivers/?sh=6c2cb737740c, https://www.army.mil/article/212935/army_ researchers_make_giant_leap_in_quantum_sensing over:DavidMeyer,KevinCox,Fredrik Fatemi,PaulKunz,"DigitalCommunicationwithRydbergAtomsandAmplitude-Modulated MicrowaveFields", App.Phys.Lett.(R)112,211108(2018).[arXiv:1803.0354]- https://arxiv.org/ abs/1803.03545

Quantumcommunication

QuantumKeyDistributionenablesmoresecureencryptionandsafer waystoauthenticateandauthorize.Thisinvolvesusingfiber-optic infrastructuretotransmitquantumparticles.38 Telecomproviders havearoletoplayindevelopingthisinfrastructure.

Communicationbetweenquantumcomputerswilleventuallytake placeoverthisnetworkaswell.Thismeansthatwitharegulatory bodysuchastheDutchNationalInspectorateforDigital Infrastructure(formerlyRadiocommunicationsAgencyasofJan.1, 2023)—whichdealswiththesecurityandreliabilityofdigitaltelecom infrastructureandthecontinuityoforganizationsthatdependon IT—telecomprovidersshouldatleastbeawareofthelatestrelevant developments.Thegeopoliticalaspects(dependenceonglobal playersandlargetechparties)mayalreadyrequireactionwhilethe technologyisstilldeveloping.

Quantumcomputing

Thetelecomsectorwillbeabletoleveragetheincreaseincomputing powerofquantumcomputerstoaddressoptimizationproblemsfor, forexample,networkloadcontrol,maintenanceplanningand prevention,andnetworkdesign.39 QuantumMachineLearningcan recognizepatternsinlargedatasetsthatarecurrentlyhidden.

38Viadelucht(satellieten)kunnendezedeeltjesookwordenverzondenenintheoriezelfsfysiek.

39Enookhiergeldenvoornamelijkrealtimeaspecten:hoekunnenrealtimemetingengebruikt wordenvoorself-configuratievanhetnetwerk,bijvoorbeeldgebruikmakendvanQML.De publicatieis(niet-academici)tedownloadenvia: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-431X/10/6/71

Q“Quantummachinelearningwill recognizehiddenpatterns indatasets”

Thisdoespresumecooperativecollaboration,becausewithouttaking precautionsintheNetherlands—andperhapsthroughoutEurope— theprincipleapplies:'thewinnertakesitall'.Inthatcase,thetelecom providerthathasaccesstothemostdatawouldbecomethelargest andcouldprovidethebestservicesinthisarea.

Quantum-secureencryption

Likethegovernmentandthefinancialsector,telecomproviderswill havetotakemeasuresasearlyasthenextfewyearstoensurethat networksandequipmentwillbequantumsecureadecadefromnow. Thismeansthattheencryptionmethodsusedcannotbecrackedby quantumcomputers.

“Quantumtechnologyenables newwaysofencryption”

A01

Appendix01

Quantumtechnologyinbrief

Thischapterbrieflydescribeswhatquantum technologyis,anditsapplications.

Akeyquestionisthatregularlyarises:howfaralongisthe technology?Tothisend,weintroducetheconceptofTechnology ReadinessLevels.Animportantsourceforthischapteristhe publication‘Theimpactofquantum’ 40 (July-2021),byBirch, commissionedbyQuantumDeltaNetherlandsandInnovation quarterZuid-Holland.

https://www.quantumforbusiness.eu/insights/birch-quantum-impact

TechnologyReadinessLevels(TRL’s)

Becausedifferentapplicationsofquantumtechnologyvarywidelyin maturity,theconceptofTechnologyReadinessLevel(TRL)isused. ThisconceptwasdevelopedbyNASA41 andisnowwidelyusedto indicatethematurityofatechnology.Attrl1(thelowestlevelof maturity),onlythebasicprinciplethattheapplicationuseshasbeen observed.Oneortwolevelshigher,thefeasibilityisalsoexamined. Fromlevel4,thetechnologyisactuallydeveloped,andatlevels5and 6alsodemonstrated.Atlevel6through9,systemsandsubsystems arealsodeveloped.Attrl9(thehighestmaturitylevel),thesystemis alsotestedandreadytobeimplemented.

Whatisquantumtechnology?

Quantumtechnologyisbasedonthelawsofquantummechanics: thelawsthatdescribethebehaviorofparticlesatthelevelofatoms, photons,electrons,andmolecules.Technologicaldevelopmentsin recentdecadeshavemadeitincreasinglypossibletomeasureand specificallyinfluencethebehavioroftheseparticles.

Thephenomenadescribedbythelawsofquantummechanics havepuzzledscientistsforseveralcenturies.Thelawsofquantum mechanicsdescribethephenomenainsuchawaythattheycan bepredicted.Thefirstcompletedescriptionofthephenomenaby physicistsisalmostacenturyold(ifwetakethe1927Solvay Conference 42 asamilestone).

41 https://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/trl_demystified.html

42 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_Conference (consulted10/18/2022)

Technologyreadinesslevels

Systemtest,launch &Operations

Researchto provefeasibility

Technology demonstration

System/subsystem development

Technology development

Basictechnology research

Inrecentdecades(andespeciallyinrecentyears),technical developmentshaveprogressedtothepointwherewecannotonly observeanddescribethebehavioroftheseparticles,butalso increasinglylearntocontrolanddirectthem.Thisleadstoalarge numberofnewapplications.Thelatteristhereasonforwritingthis ExploratoryQuantumTechnologyAssessment(theEQTA).

Incidentally,itisimportanttorememberthatbeingabletodescribe, predictandevenmanipulatethebehaviorofthesmallestparticles isverydifferentfromunderstandingthebehavior.Thewordsthat quantummechanicsusestodescribephenomenaarenotnecessarily explanatory:thinkofwordsstronglyassociatedwithquantum technologysuchas‘quantumentanglement’or‘superposition’.

Figure07 TechnologyReadinessLevels

Theyareconceptsfordescribingandpredictingthebehaviorof particles.Theseconceptscanbecomparedtothelawofgravity:the lawofgravitysaysnothingaboutthemechanismsthatcausegravity, butitallowsustodescribeandpredictthebehaviorofobjectshere onEarth.Sincenooneissurprisedbyobjectsfalling,noexplanation (inwords)isneeded.Wethinkthesamewillbetrueofquantum mechanics:oncewegetusedtotheapplicationsofquantum technology,onlyscientistswillaskquestionsaboutwhy.

Usingwordstodescribethebehaviorofparticlesquicklyleads tomisunderstanding.Suchwordsthereforecontributetothe mystificationofquantumtechnology.Considerphrasessuchas ‘quantumparticlesthatareintwoplacesatonce’or‘quantum particlesthatacquirepropertiesonlywhenobserved’.Orthatin quantumentanglementoneentangledparticle‘communicates’ informationwiththeotherentangledparticle‘fasterthanlight’.

Thistypeofexplanation(inwords)isnot,webelieve,necessaryto understandapplications(andthelimitations)ofquantumtechnology, andsothischapterrefrainsfromsuchadescription.Afterall,even froman‘ordinary’computerorcellphone,itisincomprehensibleto mostpeople(howusingonlythevalues0and1cancreatesuch complexfunctionality).WethereforefocusintheEQTAonthe functionalityofquantumtechnologyandnotonprovidingan understandingofthelawsofquantummechanics.

Whatcanquantumtechnologydo?

Beingabletomeasure,controlanddirectthebehaviorofquantum particlesleadstothreetypesofnewapplications:quantumsensors, quantumnetworksandquantumcomputers.Quantum-secure encryptionisdiscussedinthelastsection:thisissueaffectsthewhole ofsociety,regardlessofwhetheranorganizationadoptsquantum technology.

Quantumsensors

Byusingthelawsofquantummechanics,anewgenerationofvery precise,robust,andperhapsmoreaffordablesensorsbecomes available.Thosesensorscanbeused,forexample,tomeasure propertiessuchastime,motion,acceleration,dimension,gravity, currentandvoltage.

Applyingthesesensorscreatesopportunitiesfororganizationstodo thingsthatarenew,different,orbetter.Takingadvantageofthese opportunitiesrequiresadjustmentswithinorganizationsandrequires newcollaborationsbetweenorganizations.Beingabletoquickly measureallkindsofpropertieseasilyandhighlyaccuratelyleadsto ethicalandlegalquestions:whatisdesirableandnecessary?What safeguardsareneeded?TheEQTAhelpsorganizationsthinkabout thesequestions.

Applicationsinavarietyofdomains

Itisdifficulttoestimatehowbiganimpactquantumsensorswillhave onequipmentfunctionalityand—insofarasthesesensorsleadto lowercostsformeasuringtheseproperties—towidespread applicationinelectronics.Quantumsensorswillfindapplicationin professionalequipmentinavarietyoffields,includinghealthcare, logistics,construction,andtelecom.Forexample,imagesfromMRI scanswillbeabletoachievehigherresolution.Bypreciselymeasuring verysmalldifferencesingravity,wewillgainabetterunderstanding ofwhatisinthesubsurface.Quantumsensorswillbeabletoregister

motionandaccelerationmoreaccurately,allowingobjectstobe locatedmuchmorepreciselyinspace,evenwithoutGPS.

Laserswillbecomemoreaccurateandenergyefficientbecause quantumsensorscanalsoregistersmallamountsofreflectedlight particles.Thishasimplicationsforrecognizingpropertiesofliquids andmaterials:theymayeventuallybeabletobemeasuredmuch fasterandcheaper.

Fasterandmoreaccurate

Asquantumtechnologyenablesmoreprecisemeasurementoftime, itwillleadtoallkindsofnoticeablyfasterapplications.GPSwill becomemanytimesmoreaccuratebecauseofthis.Thequantum sensorsenablefasterclockpulses(oscillators),andthusfastertiming ofexecutionofcommandsbyprocessorsandfasterinformation exchangebetweenthecomponentsofcomputers,telephones,andall kindsofdevices.

Bettersynchronizationalsoenablesfasterinformationexchange betweensystemsinwiredandwirelesstelecomnetworks.Withthese moreaccuratesensors,chipsizesmaybereducedevenfurther. Perhapsthesesensorswillleadtoanewgenerationofsensitive —andtechnicallymuchsimplerandmorerobust—antennas.

Timeline: Thedevelopmentofthesesensorsusingquantum technologyismovingveryquickly.Someapplications(suchas quantumclocks)arealreadycomingtomarket.43 Manyofthe quantumsensorsmeasuringpropertiesareunderdevelopmentin laboratories.

43Ortt,R.(2020). DeTechnologie-monitor2020Quantumtechnologie. StichtingToekomstbeeld derTechniek,DenHaag.- https://stt.nl/nl/toekomstverkenningen/97-de-technologiemonitor2020-quantumtechnologie/nationale-technologiemonitor-2020-quantumtechnologie

Quantumnetworks

Intheareaofsecurityandcommunication,newfunctionalitywill graduallybeaddedtonetworksweknowtoday(throughfiber,byair and/orbysatellite),overthenextfewdecades.Thiswillenablemore secureexchangeofhighlyconfidentialinformation.Currently,thereis alotoffocusonbeingabletoexchangeencryptionkeys confidentially:QuantumKeyDistribution.

Quantumnetworksalsoofferpossibilitiesforauthenticationand authorization(establishingwithcertaintytheidentityofreceiverand senderandthemachinestheyuse).

Robustmeasures

Itisworthrememberingthatconfidentialityduringthetransportation ofinformationandbeingabletodeterminetheidentityofthesender andreceiverwithgreatercertaintyarenotenoughtoensure confidentialityofinformationexchange.Butquantumtechnology doesenablenewer,morerobustmeasuresinanincreasinglycomplex setofmeasures.

Quantumcommunicationswilleventuallymakeitpossibletoconnect quantumcomputerstoformalargerquantumcomputerandthereby enabledistributedquantumcomputing

Timeline: Thesecommunicationapplicationsforsecureexchangeof information(QuantumKeyDistribution)willcometomarketinthe nextfewyearsorareatanexperimentalstage(trl4-6).

Standardizationofsecureencryptionkeyexchangeisatanadvanced stage.44 Gettingprocessorsofquantumcomputerstoworktogether overnetworkswillrequirealongerperiodoftime.

44 https://www.standict.eu/discussion-groups/quantum-computing/297/towards-europeanstandards-quantum-technologies

Quantumcomputers

Thepromiseofquantumcomputersisthatanumberofspecific problemscanbesolvedmuchfasterwiththequantumcomputer thanwithclassicalcomputers.Indoingso,fourtypesofapplications arecommonlyidentified:

• Simulatingthebehaviorofatoms

Simulatingthebehaviorofthesimplestatomsisquicklytoo complexforcurrentcomputers.However,quantumcomputerscan beusedtosimulatethebehaviorofmoleculesandatoms(fordrug andmaterialdevelopmentandforavarietyofchemicaland biologicalprocesses).

• Solvingspecificproblemsmorerapidly Quantumcomputerscansolvecertainproblemsfaster.Consider optimizationproblems,wheremanydifferentsolutionsarepossible, eachofwhichmustbecomputed.Examplesincludetraffic, logistics,finance,andhealthcare.Searchinglargeunstructured datasetsmayalsobefasterwithquantumcomputers.

• Rapidlybreakingencryptionofdigitalcommunications

Theencryptionalgorithmsthatarecommontodayderivetheir powerfromcomputationalproblemsthatcannotbesolved efficientlywithoutknowingthekey.However,somecomputational problemsthatcurrentcomputerscannotsolvenowwillsoonbe solvablebyquantumcomputers.Thismeansthatanumberofthe encryption(andauthentication)algorithmsthatarecommonly usedtodaywillnolongerbesecureinthequantumcomputerera.

• MachineLearning

InthefieldofArtificialIntelligence(AI),MachineLearningwill benefitfromquantumcomputers.45

45Neumann,N.,Phillipson,F.&Versluis,R. Machinelearninginthequantumera. DigitaleWelt3, 24-29(2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42354-019-0164-0

Timeline: (seeFigure08)Currently,smallquantumcomputersare availableforexperimentaluseandforgainingexperiencewiththeir features.Majorbreakthroughsstillneedtooccurbeforeserious applicationsofthequantumcomputerwillbecomeviable:bothin computingpowerandinbasicthingslikequantummemoryanddata storage.Theelectronicsneededtodriveandembedaquantum computerarestillunderdevelopment.Algorithmsandsoftwareare alsostillbeingworkedonaroundtheworld.

Yeteventhisobservationaboutquantumcomputingisnotentirely true:therearealsowaystousethequantumcomputerinaheuristic sensetosolvecertainproblems.Thatis,asapracticalwaytoquickly arriveataresultwithouthavingtocomputesolutionsalltheway through.Thistypeofapplicationismorelikelytobewithinreach.

Figure08 Numberofqubitsininquantumcomputers(>10.000qubitsareneeded forsimpleapplications).Source:Birch(2021)

Numberofqubitsinquantumcomputing (figurative)

Quantum-secureencryption

Eventhoughitwillbeatleastadecadebeforequantumcomputers arefitforpurpose,societyshouldanticipatetheirupcomingarrival now.Afterall,quantumcomputershavebeenproventobeableto cracktheencryptionmethodscommonlyusedtoday.Fortunately,we donotneedquantumcomputingpowertousequantum-secure encryption.Theweaknessesincurrentformsofencryptioncanbe fixedwithoutusingquantumcomputers.

Muchoftheinformationthatmustremainconfidentialforlonger than10yearsmustthereforebequantumsecurelyencryptednow. Devicesandmachinesthathavealifespanover10yearswillalready havetobeequippedwithencryptionmethodsthatarequantum secure.ThinkofATMsinthestreet,bridgesandlocksinpublic spaces,orarchives.Thestandardizationofquantum-securepublickeyencryptionmethodsbyNIST 46 (NationalInstituteofStandards andTechnology)isattheconceptualstage.Inthecomingyears, thesemethodswillbeusedinavarietyofservicesandproducts.

Thetransitiontonewmethodsofencryptionisamajorareaof concernfororganizations,withsomeorganizationsanticipatingthe needtobeginworkingwithotherorganizationsinthesector. EspeciallyaroundATMs,public-spaceequipmentandarchives mentionedearlier,bestpracticesandguidelinesneedtobe establishedquickly.Otherorganizationsneedtostartencrypting informationinsuchawaythatitcanbesecurelyre-encryptedwhen needed.Theknowledgeandresourceswillnotbeavailabletoevery organization,andmanyofthesedevelopmentswillrequirecloser collaboration.

46 https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/post-quantum-cryptography/post-quantum-cryptographystandardization

“Quantumsensorswillfindapplicationin

professionalequipmentinavarietyof fields,includinghealthcare,logistics, construction,andtelecom”

A02

Annex02

Roadmaptemplate

GoingthroughtheEQTAroadmapismorethanjust collectinginformationtomakeadecisionabout responsibleapplicationofquantumtechnology.

TheRoadmaphelpsorganizationstoconsiderwhatquantum technologymaybringthem,whetherthatisdesiable,howto gaincertaintyaboutideasandwhatisneededtorealizethem.

TheEQTAwillhelporganizationstodecidewhichdevelopments theyshouldfollowregardingquantumtechnology,whetherand howtheycaninitiateandsteerthesedevelopments.TheEQTA willhelporganizationstodecidethattheyneedtogainexperience withquantumtechnology.TheEQTAcanprovidemanagement, employeesandotherstakeholderswithinsightswhatquantum technologycanmeanandactivelyinvolvetheminthedevelopment ofideas.

Organizationswill,aftergoingthroughtheEQTA,starttocooperate withothers,ortakeefforttodevelopstandards.Otherswillstartto workonethicalframeworksandthatlegislationisdeveloped.

BygoingthroughtheEQTA,organizationscanbetterpayattention totheimpactofrelevantgeopoliticaldevelopmentsonideasabout application.Organizationscanmakeanefforttoensurethat educationrespondsinatimelymannertotheskillsneededtouse quantumtechnologyorthatserviceprovidersdevelopservicesthat meettheirrequirementsandfitwhattheyneed.Themostimportant partofgoingthroughtheEQTAisthereforeperhapsthelaststep, theevaluation:planningamomenttotestthedecision,lookingat theeffectofthemeasurestakenandthenplanningfurthersteps.

RoadmapExploratoryQuantum TechnologyAssessment

ThefillableRoadmapispartoftheExploratoryQuantumTechnology Assessment.Itwillhelporganizationstodecidewhichdevelopments theyshouldfollowregardingquantumtechnology,whetherandhow theycaninitiateandsteerthesedevelopments.TheEQTAwillhelp organizationstodecidetowhatextenttheyneedtogainexperience withquantumtechnology.TheEQTAcanprovidemanagement, employeesandotherstakeholderswithinsightswhatquantum technologycancontributeandinvolvetheminthefurther developmentofideas.

EQTAwasmadepossiblebytheMinistryofEconomicAffairsand ClimateandfundedbytheQuantumDeltaNetherlandsGrowthFund.

EQTAisatooldevelopedbytheCentreforQuantumandSociety.

Colophon

WiththankstoQDNL,whocommissioned ECP|PlatformfortheInformationSociety todeveloptheEQTA.Andtotheworking groupwithstakeholdersandexperts,led byProf.BartSchermer(LeidenUniversity, Considerati)andDaniëlFrijters(ECP), whoshapedtheEQTA

Editor: EsterSchop, Lees-t.nl

Design: FrankWestenberg

Print: Veldhuizengrafischeffect

Photography: MariekedeLorijn

EricBrinkhorst

AnneReitsma

2023©QuantumDeltaNederland

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