Harnessing the power of quantum mechanics to generate true random numbers at high speed.

While a coin toss or the casting of dice may seem random, short-term behaviour is very predictable when for example observed with high-speed cameras. Software algorithms offer “randomness” as well. However, the randomness of a deterministic program can only be as random as its initial seed value – the result is commonly called pseudo-randomness. The next logical step are physical random number generators, which rely on measuring the noise of a physical process – like the thermal noise of a resistor – to produce randomness. While this might seem intuitive, it is far from ensured that these numbers are indeed truly random and thus uncorrelated with a 3rd party that possibly has more knowledge about the physical system.

The only true randomness can be found in quantum mechanics. The randomness arises from its intrinsic, fundamentally statistical nature and is deeply linked to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Our research-grade random number generators tap into the quantum randomness and provide it to applications that require the highest level of trust in the source of randomness, such as quantum cryptography devices.