Quantum Computers (QCs), once they mature, will be able to solve some problems faster than Classic Computers. This phenomenon is called "quantum advantage" (or a stronger term "quantum supremacy"). Quantum advantage will help us to speed up computations in many areas, from artificial intelligence to medicine. However, QC power can also be leveraged to break modern cryptographic algorithms, which pervade modern software: use cases range from encryption of Internet traffic, to encryption of disks, to signing blockchain ledgers. While the exact date when QCs will evolve to reach quantum advantage is unknown, the consensus is that this future is near. Thus, in order to maintain crypto agility of the software, one needs to start preparing for the era of quantum advantage proactively. In this paper, we recap the effect of quantum advantage on the existing and new software systems, as well as the data that we currently store. We also highlight similarities and differences between the security challenges brought by QCs and the challenges that software engineers faced twenty years ago while fixing widespread Y2K bug. Technically, the Y2K bug and the quantum advantage problems are different: the former was caused by timing-related problems, while the latter is caused by a cryptographic algorithm being non-quantum-resistant. However, conceptually, the problems are similar: we know what the root cause is, the fix (strategically) is straightforward, yet the implementation of the fix is challenging. To address the quantum advantage challenge, we create a seven-step roadmap, deemed 7E. It is inspired by the lessons-learnt from the Y2K era amalgamated with modern knowledge. The roadmap gives developers a structured way to start preparing for the quantum advantage era, helping them to start planning for the creation of new as well as the evolution of the existent software.

中文翻译：

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Quantum Advantage 和 Y2K Bug：比较

量子计算机（QC）一旦成熟，将能够比经典计算机更快地解决一些问题。这种现象被称为“量子优势”（或更强的术语“量子霸权”）。量子优势将帮助我们加快许多领域的计算，从人工智能到医学。然而，QC 能力也可以用来破解现代软件中普遍存在的现代密码算法：用例范围从互联网流量加密到磁盘加密，再到签署区块链分类账。虽然 QC 进化到达到量子优势的确切日期尚不清楚，但人们一致认为，这个未来已经临近。因此，为了保持软件的加密敏捷性，需要主动开始为量子优势时代做准备。在本文中，我们回顾了量子优势对现有和新软件系统的影响，以及我们目前存储的数据。我们还强调了 QC 带来的安全挑战与软件工程师 20 年前在修复广泛的 Y2K 错误时面临的挑战之间的异同。从技术上讲，千年虫和量子优势问题是不同的：前者是由时序相关的问题引起的，而后者是由非量子抗性的密码算法引起的。然而，从概念上讲，问题是相似的：我们知道根本原因是什么，修复（战略上）很简单，但修复的实施具有挑战性。为了应对量子优势挑战，我们创建了一个七步路线图，称为 7E。它的灵感来自 Y2K 时代与现代知识相结合的经验教训。该路线图为开发人员提供了一种结构化的方式来开始为量子优势时代做准备，帮助他们开始规划新软件的创建以及现有软件的演进。