The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has announced that Charles Bennett of IBM Research and Gilles Brassard of the Universite de Montreal are the recipients of the 2025 Turing Award for their foundational contributions to quantum cryptography.
The $1 million prize, often called the "Nobel Prize of Computing," recognizes the duo's invention of quantum key distribution (QKD) in 1984, which demonstrated how quantum mechanical principles could enable provably secure communication.
Their BB84 protocol was the first practical quantum cryptography scheme and remains the most widely deployed quantum key distribution method today. The protocol exploits the fundamental property of quantum mechanics that observing a quantum state inherently disturbs it, making any eavesdropping attempt detectable.
"Bennett and Brassard's work didn't just create a new cryptographic technique - it launched an entirely new field," said ACM President Yannis Ioannidis. "Quantum cryptography represents a paradigm shift in how we think about secure communication."
The timing of this recognition is particularly significant as organizations worldwide race to develop quantum-resistant cryptographic systems. With quantum computers threatening to break current encryption standards, the foundations laid by Bennett and Brassard are more relevant than ever.
The researchers will formally receive the award at the ACM's annual awards banquet in June. Their work continues to influence both theoretical research and practical implementations of quantum communication systems.