2023-10-07 –, Track 5
R.R. Coveyou famously titled a 1970 article, "Random Number Generation Is Too Important to Be Left to Chance". In this presentation, I will recap the importance of randomness in computing and the current landscape of pseudorandom and true random number generation. I will also discuss the promise of quantum random number generation from radioactive decay to the use of quantum states of light to gather entropy from a quantum origin. Finally, I will discuss the question of 'trust' in random numbers generated by quantum means.
Steven Weldon is the Savannah River National Laboratory Cyber Program Director at the Georgia Cyber Center. He is also an adjunct Instructor at the Augusta University School of Computer and Cyber Sciences.