Intesa Sanpaolo wins GoBeyond Award for Best Quantum-Inspired Project

The awarded project, titled “RSA Breaking with a Quantum-Inspired Approach” addresses a crucial topic for cybersecurity: the potential impact of quantum computers on the cryptographic algorithms currently used to protect data and communications.

In simple terms, many sensitive pieces of information today — from banking transactions to personal data — are protected by an encryption system called RSA. This system is based on a highly complex mathematical problem (factorization) that is extremely difficult for traditional computers to solve. However, future quantum computers could solve it much faster, potentially putting current security standards at risk. This moment is often referred to as “Q-day,” when quantum computing power could surpass traditional cryptographic defenses.

RSA (named after the initials of its creators Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman) is a public-key cryptography protocol used in many cybersecurity contexts, from digital signatures to online payments. It is based on the difficulty of factoring integers into their prime factors: for traditional computers, this is a problem whose complexity increases as the number of digits grows, but it could be solved rapidly by a sufficiently powerful quantum computer thanks to Shor’s algorithm.

The Intesa Sanpaolo team investigated whether some operational principles typical of quantum computers can already be simulated using classical computing systems. In particular, it tested a technique called Simulated Quantum Annealing, evaluating whether it could be more effective than classical algorithms in solving the mathematical problem underlying RSA encryption.

The goal was not to actually break cryptography, but to understand whether quantum-inspired methods could already offer advantages today, enabling early assessment of future risks.

Results showed that these quantum-inspired techniques can achieve higher success probabilities compared to traditional algorithms, while still running on standard computers with conventional processors. This demonstrates that risks related to quantum computing can be studied and anticipated even without access to real quantum machines.

The project therefore strengthens preparedness for future “Post-Quantum” security solutions, positioning Intesa Sanpaolo among the most advanced players in addressing future cybersecurity challenges.

The team’s work has been compiled into a scientific paper that will soon be submitted for peer review to the international journal Physical Review Applied.