A Quantum Computing Talk Without Qubits

Explore quantum computing from a software engineer's perspective in this 38-minute conference talk that deliberately avoids physics concepts and focuses entirely on practical infrastructure and software supply chain implications. Learn how quantum computing affects backend development through real-world examples using YAML files, container logs, and Kubernetes operations rather than traditional quantum physics explanations. Discover how Red Hat ecosystem contributions are integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) into Linux userspace, including RHEL 10 and Fedora's adoption of NIST-approved algorithms like ML-KEM and ML-DSA in core libraries such as OpenSSL and GnuTLS. Master the process of switching crypto-policies to "Quantum Ready" with simple commands and examine OpenShift Quantum Operators that treat Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) as accelerators similar to GPUs. Understand how the OpenShift Qiskit Operator enables Jupyter notebook environments on Kubernetes that connect to real quantum backends. Investigate Liboqs (Open Quantum Safe), the open-source library driving quantum-safe cryptography adoption, and learn to test application resilience when encryption keys suddenly increase in size. Address the critical threat that fault-tolerant quantum computers pose to current internet encryption standards like RSA and ECC, positioning this as an urgent software supply chain challenge rather than distant science fiction.