Quantum pioneers win Turing Award for encryption breakthrough

Quantum pioneers win Turing Award for encryption breakthrough - BBC News Image source, IBM / Hatim Kaghat via the Association for Computing Machinery Image caption, The pair's theory is not new but is thought to be key to secure future electronic communications By Paulin Kola Published 18 March 2026 A US physicist and a Canadian computer scientist have won this year's Turing Award for their invention of a form of seemingly unbreakable encryption. Charles H Bennett and Gilles Brassard's work, which dates back to 1984, is known as quantum cryptography and has "redefined secure communication and computing", the award's body said. Scientists believe their work will be central to electronic communications in a world that depends heavily on data-sharing, but which for years has been trying to develop more powerful quantum computers. The Turing Award, named after the mathematician and code-breaker Alan Turing, is known as the "Nobel Prize of computing". It comes with a $1m (£800,000) prize. Bennett, 82, is a fellow at technology company IBM in New York, while Brassard, 70, is a professor at the University of Montreal. The pair met by chance whilst attending an academic conference in Puerto Rico in 1979. Bennett is reported to have approached the computer scientist as they were swimming during a break to suggest the idea of developing a banknote that could never be forged. It heralded decades of co-operation, during which the two men developed a technique based on quantum physics - the behaviour of particles of matter, including electrons and photons. Current encryption technology relies on complex mathematical combinations, but many scientists believe that the arrival of quantum computers will make this insecure. By contrast, Bennett and Brassard's theory - known as BB84 - shows that any attempt to hack or copy their quantum encryption key changes the very behaviour of its elements, making replication impossible. In the announcement on Wednesday, the Association of Computer Machinery - the body that awards the Turing Award, praised their work as a "pathway toward securing digital communications in the decades ahead". Related topics Encryption Computers Top stories Live . Trump says US will 'massively blow up' major Iranian gas field if it attacks Qatar again 17404 viewing 17k viewing Public health alert as Kent meningitis cases rise Published 9 hours ago Why has this meningitis outbreak spread so fast? Published 11 hours ago More to explore Is government going wobbly on its migration plans? Labour migrant plans under scrutiny and Iran gas field targeted Stretching 2,689 miles, the world's longest coastal path opens in England Why has this meningitis outbreak spread so fast? India's young are more educated than ever. So why are so many jobless? Afghan evacuees in limbo in Qatar camp accuse US of betrayal Ryan Gosling on bringing humour to sci-fi adventure Project Hail Mary 'One of a kind' Messi hits 900 career goals - numbers behind milestone Computer says no. Are AI interviews making it harder to get a job? Elsewhere on the BBC Five sisters bound by heartbreak and glorious chaos How the 2006 US–India nuclear deal was sweetened with mangoes Catch up on all episodes of Britain's toughest job interview How learning to read reshaped our brains and lives Most read 1 Stretching 2,689 miles, the world's longest coastal path opens in England 2 Labour migrant plans under scrutiny and Iran gas field targeted 3 US aircraft carrier to sail to Crete for repairs after fire on board 4 Why has this meningitis outbreak spread so fast? 5 King praises 'living bridge' with Nigeria at glitzy banquet 6 Impact of Iran war expected to bring hold in interest rates 7 Sadiq Khan says Labour should pledge to rejoin EU 8 Two men charged with allegedly spying on London Jewish community for Iran 9 Public health alert as Kent meningitis cases rise 10 Child seen in sex abuse videos identified after researcher spots school badge