You probably don’t think twice when you tap your EZ-link card. Yet hidden inside is a microcomputer with a cryptographic engine, quietly authenticating your card and ensuring the integrity of your every transaction. That same invisible layer of cryptography protects every WhatsApp message you send, every PayWave tap, and every time you connect to WiFi.
Now imagine this: the data you send today could be quietly intercepted, stored, and left waiting. Years from now, when quantum computers become powerful enough to break today’s “unbreakable” encryption, that data could be decrypted in an instant. This isn’t science fiction – it’s a real and growing threat already on the radar of security experts worldwide.
At SMU Industry AmpUP on 11 June 2026, with over 50 alumni in attendance, we explored this future and its far-reaching implications.
Professor Robert Deng, the 2025 recipient of the Zhongni Distinguished Educator Award, set the stage by explaining why cryptography underpins digital trust, how today’s encryption relies on hard mathematical problems, and why quantum computing challenges those assumptions. He also introduced Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), the emerging class of algorithms designed to withstand both classical and quantum attacks, which NIST has endorsed as a key pathway forward.
The panel discussion featuring Prof Robert Deng, Edwin Lim, and Wai Tuck Wong (BSc IS 2019), moderated by Dr MeiHui T. Hui (LLM 2024) reinforced the urgency. Key reflections included:
1. The threat is real and imminent: data harvested today could be decrypted by 2035, with risks of retroactive forgery.
2. Beyond technology: governance, regulation, and data sensitivity matter as much as cryptographic upgrades.
3. AI as an enabler, not a replacement: it can map systems, but human judgment drives risk and trust decisions.
4. Action is urgent: quantum, PQC, and digital trust are no longer abstract – they demand attention today. The clear message: the quantum future isn’t distant. Organisations must start preparing now.
This is what SMU Industry AmpUP is all about - bringing our alumni community together to explore the latest industry conversations shaping our world, because some topics are too important to wait.
Missed the session or would like to revisit the discussion? You can watch the recording here: https://lnkd.in/dyEy8wjw
