Saudi Arabia’s KAUST in global chip-development effort to thwart hackers

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People work on computers on January 22, 2019 in Lille, during the 11th International Cybersecurity Forum. (AFP/File Photo)
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Updated 12 August 2020
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Saudi Arabia’s KAUST in global chip-development effort to thwart hackers

  • Quantum computers are likely to be able to crack existing communication methods in the near future
  • KAUST contributing to designing of computer chip capable of foiling security threats from quantum computers

DUBAI: Scientists from one of Saudi Arabia’s most prestigious academic institutions are part of an international chip-designing team that is spearheading efforts to put hackers out of business.

The goal of the KAUST team is to design an optical computer chip that can withstand security threats from quantum computers, which many believe will be able to crack existing communication methods in the near future.

The optical chips enable information to be sent from one user to another via a one-time, unhackable mode of communication in “perfect secrecy.”

This allows confidential data to be protected more securely than ever before on public classical communication channels.

The scientists’ proposed system uses silicon chips containing complex structures that are irreversibly changed to send information in a one-time key that can neither be recreated nor intercepted by an attacker.

The results, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, open a new route toward implementing “perfect secrecy” cryptography on a global scale whose costs are economical too.

“This new technique is absolutely unbreakable, as we rigorously demonstrated in our article,” said Andrea di Falco, a professor with the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St. Andrews and first author of the study.

“It can be used to protect the confidentiality of communications exchanged by users separated by any distance, at an ultrafast speed close to the light limit and in inexpensive and electronic compatible optical chips.”

Although not used yet, the scientists have filed a patent besides the paper in “Nature Communications.”

They are now in discussion with companies in the UK and US, in addition to being in contact with a company in Saudi Arabia.

“It could help governments as well,” said Dr. Andrea Fratalocchi, associate professor of electrical engineering at KAUST and co-author of the research paper.

“This technology, if implemented on a large scale, can put hackers out of business because it will create an impenetrable layer that no one can break.”

With the right funding, prototypes can be deployed with high technological readiness within a couple of years.

Current standard cryptographic techniques allow information to be sent quickly, but chances are they will be hacked by future computers and quantum algorithms.

Redha Al-Ibrahim, a 24-year-old Saudi Ph.D. student at KAUST, said the drive to produce smaller and more efficient chips to enable powerful computing in small devices has led to the development of quantum computers.

"Today, tech giants possess the resources and talent to build quantum computers and use them to perform tasks (earlier) believed to be impossible even with the world's most powerful machines," he told Arab News.

"Some of these tasks involving breaking today's most powerful encryption codes used by everyone daily to keep their information safe and their resources secure."

The research team said that their new method for encrypting data is unbreakable and uses existing communication networks, plus takes up less network space than traditional encrypted communications do.

The chip can be used by private customers who perform bank transactions, for instance, or in the military field, among others, which uses confidential information.

“It’s based on integrated chips used on the sender and receiver,” Fratalocchi said.

FASTFACT

Optical Chips

Promise many advantages over their electronic counterparts, including reduced power consumption and processing speedups.

“The chips allow the exchange, on a public channel, of a key between the two people. The key is random; it’s different every time and no one can infer it from the communication exchanged between the two.”

With this key, users can encode information in a way that no other user can decode. The security of this scheme is of the type “perfect secrecy,” a security that can be mathematically proven to never be broken — not by any user nor by technological advance.

Fratalocchi said that three models of security are commonly used currently, adding that it would become possible to decrypt encrypted messages using a protocol called “mathematical security” in a few years.

“This type of security is the one used in many symmetric key cryptographic protocols, such as the one used by the United States to encrypt confidential information,” he said.

“Another security protocol is defined as ‘probable security,’ which is employed in many public key cryptographies, such as in bank transactions.

“All these paradigms are not based on unconditional proofs and are vulnerable to technological development.

“No one can anticipate the technology of tomorrow. An attacker can just save the data of today and wait until the right technology is available to decrypt the information.”

Fratalocchi’s research belongs to the third category, ”perfect secrecy,” which is the sturdiest of them all.

Developed by Frank Miller in 1882, during the age of telegraphy, and patented in 1919 by Gilbert Vernam, it is called the one-time pad (OTP) or the Vernam cipher.




In this picture taken on May 8, 2017, smartphone chip component circuits are handled by a worker at the Oppo factory in Dongguan. (AFP/File Photo)

At the time, Vernam claimed it was unbreakable but could not prove it mathematically.

The proof became available in the late 1940s.

“What we did is to create a physical implementation of the Vernam cipher and experimentally prove it,” Fratalocchi told Arab News.

“With the advent of more powerful and quantum computers, all current encryptions will be broken in very short time, exposing the privacy of our present and, more importantly, past communications.”

Fratalocchi said that an attacker might store an encrypted message sent today and wait for the right technology to become available to decipher the communication.

“Implementing massive and affordable resources of global security is a worldwide problem that this research has the potential to solve for everyone, and everywhere,” he said.

The new method uses the classical laws of physics — the second law of thermodynamics in particular — to protect the messages.

Keys generated by the chip, which unlock each message, are never stored nor communicated with the message, nor can they ever be recreated, even by the users themselves. This adds an extra level of security.

“A novel form of security must be made available for the future, when current technologies becomes obsolete, making everyone's information vulnerable,” Al-Ibrahim told Arab News.

“This research introduces a new form of security, which depends on a random, unpredictable physical structure that is made uniquely for each individual.”

Fratalocchi said Saudi Arabia is an interesting country for researchers of his ilk because its informatic infrastructure is quite advanced.

“Here, you can perform almost any task online or from any ATM, ranging from any type of government service to paying fines,” he said.

“In Europe, cyber development in the government sector is not as advanced. Saudi Arabia would be an excellent user of this perfect secrecy system for securing any type of communication.”




In this picture taken on May 8, 2017, smartphone chip component circuits are handled by a worker at the Oppo factory in Dongguan. (AFP/File Photo)

The team is currently working on developing commercial applications of the patented technology, a fully functional demo and user-friendly software for the system.

“We are confident of our results,” Fratalocchi said.

“The work took a very long time. I started the idea of using a complex system for communicating security in my post-doctoral research, which was funded from an award that I won from the Enrico Fermi Center for Study and Research in Rome.”

When he moved to KAUST in 2011, Fratalocchi worked on it with Valerio Mazzone, his Ph.D. student, and their collaborators in the UK and the US. It took about five years, with trial and error, to discover the correct system.

“The main difficulty was to find a system that would scale up and could be used on users separated by arbitrary distances,” Fratalocchi said.

“The most important experiment happened around three years ago, when we found the correct configuration in a scalable system that wasn’t too expensive.”

Looking to the future, Dr. Aluizio Cruz, co-founder and CEO of the Center for Unconventional Processes of Sciences (CUP Sciences) in California and co-author of the Nature Communications report, said: “This system is the practical solution the cybersecurity sector has been waiting for since the perfect secrecy theoretical proof” by Vernam.

Cruz added: “It will be a key candidate to solving global cybersecurity threats, from private to national security, all the way to smart energy grids.”

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@CalineMalek


Saudi Arabia extends condolences to Sudan after 11 die in mine collapse

A general view shows the Ariab company gold mine in the Sudanese desert, 800 kilometers northeast of the capital Khartoum. (AFP)
Updated 46 min 14 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia extends condolences to Sudan after 11 die in mine collapse

  • The collapse of the gold mine in the remote desert area of Howeid, northeast Sudan killed 11 miners and wounded seven others

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia extended its condolences and sympathy on Sunday after a traditional gold mine in Sudan partially collapsed and killed 11 miners.

The collapse of the gold mine in the remote desert area of Howeid, northeast Sudan also wounded seven others, the country’s mining company said on Sunday.

The Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom stands with Sudan during this tragedy and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. 


Jeddah panel explores declining marriage rates among youth

Dr. Khalid Sind speaks to attendees during the panel discussion. (Supplied)
Updated 29 June 2025
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Jeddah panel explores declining marriage rates among youth

  • Discussion highlights changing views on commitment, societal pressures, search for meaningful connection

JEDDAH: Amid changing values, shifting priorities and growing alternatives to traditional partnerships, a panel titled “Why is there a decline in marriage today?” has explored evolving views on love, commitment and marriage.

Organized by Ta3mq, a platform focused on honest dialogue, the event at Hayy Jameel’s Rukn Space in Jeddah featured panelists from psychology, community leadership and youth engagement.

It was moderated by Tasneem Alshanqiti, Ta3mq founder, and Motaz Al-Safh, a Saudi engineer and entrepreneur. The session addressed generational concerns, fears and new definitions of partnership.

Panel members (L-R): Tasneem Al-Shanqiti, Dr. Rozana Al-Banawi, Motaz Al-Safh and Dr. Khalid Sindi. (Supplied)

Reflecting on her role, Alshanqiti said: “I wasn’t just moderating — I was carrying the voice of younger women,” adding that she aimed to create a safe space that encouraged openness and reflection.

Panelist Rozana Albanawi, founder of Qeema and Jeddah_CM, said that the discussion explored marriage from societal, religious and psychological perspectives, focusing on self-understanding, compatibility over idealism, and the evolution of love.

Al-Safh said that he focused on creating a safe, judgment-free space for men to express vulnerability.

He described the conversation as “more like a talk between brothers than a formal panel,” aiming to help participants understand their fears and feelings about love and commitment.

The discussion highlighted recurring themes among Saudi youth. Al-Safh said that a few key issues kept emerging: Fear of failure, feeling unready, and pressure from expectations. Many question whether marriage today feels like love or a liability.

He added: “But beneath it all, there’s a real craving for connection, just done right, in a way that feels safe and meaningful.”

Dr. Khalid Sindi, a relationship and marriage psychotherapist, offered a broader national perspective by linking personal challenges to policy and social change.

Speaking to Arab News, he noted the ongoing transition in Saudi marriage values — from traditional to more modern — while emphasizing the preservation of core Islamic principles.

He highlighted government efforts under Vision 2030, such as the Saudi Marriage Fund and Sakani housing program, aimed at easing economic barriers for youth.

Sindi added: “Younger generations are seeking marriages that blend our cherished traditions with contemporary expectations of emotional connection and mutual growth. This represents not a rejection of our values but their natural adaptation to modern life.”

The panelists said that changing views on love and commitment reflected maturity rather than uncertainty.

Albanawi said: “There is high awareness among the generation now on marital topics, and many are seeking marriage with the right tools.”

She explained that conversation and dialogue help young people to commit while accepting uncertainty in relationships.

“The younger generation is looking for new ways to shape their marriage, such as avoiding unnecessary rules like high financial burdens or societal expectations that don’t match their reality.”

On the event’s outcome, Albanawi added: “A common theme was that marriages work best when couples marry early, are ready, and have family support.”

She noted that many believe delaying marriage increases fears and makes adaptation harder.

Sindi expressed a similar view on marriage’s evolving nature, saying that the changing views reflected progress and natural generational dynamics rather than fear or uncertainty.

“Rather than seeing shifting perspectives as problematic, the older generation should guide younger Saudis with wisdom and empathy.”

Highlighting the national context, Sindi noted the vital role of government initiatives in supporting Saudi Arabia’s vision for marriage and family life, demonstrating a commitment to making families society’s cornerstone.

Reflecting on the session’s emotional honesty, Al-Safh said that hearing men express concerns such as, “I don’t want to fail someone’s daughter,” revealed deep care often left unspoken.

Alshanqiti echoed the need for open, non-judgmental spaces, saying fears about failure and not being enough reminded her that many seek places where they can be truly seen and heard. She described the session as a step toward that openness.

 

 


Global sculptures at open-air museum in historic Jeddah

The new sculpture installations at Al-Arbaeen Lake reimagine public spaces as platforms for cultural engagement. (SPA)
Updated 29 June 2025
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Global sculptures at open-air museum in historic Jeddah

  • The sculptures form a dynamic dialogue between the past and present, blending the site’s heritage with the language of contemporary art

JEDDAH: As part of a broader effort to revive the region’s visual identity through art, Al-Arbaeen Lake in historic Jeddah has been transformed into an open-air gallery featuring a curated collection of sculptures by international artists.

Led by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Jeddah Municipality, the initiative features 14 world-class artworks integrated into the city’s visual landscape, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Historic Jeddah's Visual Identity Reimagined Through Art Installations at Lake Al-Arbaeen. (SPA)

The sculptures form a dynamic dialogue between the past and present, blending the site’s heritage with the language of contemporary art.

Notable works on display include “The Illusion of the Second Cube” by Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely; “Rouge” and “Flexibility of Balance” by Alexander Calder; “Circular Mass” by Arnaldo Pomodoro; “The Bird” by Spanish sculptor Joan Miro; and “Giving and Receiving Love” by Lorenzo Quinn — a powerful piece that reflects human values through striking aluminium forms.

FASTFACTS

• Led by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Jeddah Municipality, the urban art initiative features 14 world-class artworks integrated into the city’s visual landscape.

• Notable works on display include ‘The Illusion of the Second Cube’ by Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely and ‘Giving and Receiving Love’ by Lorenzo Quinn.

The installations are part of a wider artistic movement that reimagines public spaces as platforms for cultural engagement.

By transforming urban environments into art experiences, the project invites both residents and visitors to explore the intersection of architectural heritage and modern creativity.

It underscores the growing role of art in shaping urban identity and fostering public appreciation for visual beauty in shared spaces of the Kingdom.

 


Saudi FM receives Djiboutian counterpart

Updated 29 June 2025
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Saudi FM receives Djiboutian counterpart

  • The two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation in various fields

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his Djiboutian counterpart, Abdul Kader Hussein Omar, in Riyadh on Sunday.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation in various fields, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.

The two ministers also chaired a meeting of the Political Consultations Committee between the two countries, during which they discussed coordination on key regional and international issues.

Saud Al-Sati, deputy minister for political affairs, was among the officials in attendance.

 

 


Saudi FM receives written message from Russian counterpart

The message was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji during a meeting with Russia’s ambassador to the Kingdom.
Updated 29 June 2025
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Saudi FM receives written message from Russian counterpart

  • Al-Khuraiji and Kozlov elaborated on relations between their countries and ways to enhance them in various fields

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a written message from his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The message, regarding Saudi-Russian relations and ways to support and strengthen them in various fields, was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji in Riyadh during a meeting with Russia’s ambassador to the Kingdom Sergey Kozlov.

During the meeting, Al-Khuraiji and Kozlov elaborated on relations between their countries and ways to enhance them in various fields. Topics of common interest were also discussed, SPA added.