Question

more quickly. silicon chips will continue to get faster as the years pass, doubling in speed roughly every eighteen months, but this is not enough to make a real impact on the speed of factoring—cryptanalysts require a technology that is billions of times faster than current computers. consequently, cryptanalysts are looking toward a radically new form of computer, the quantum computer. if scientists could build a quantum computer, it would be able to perform calculations with such enormous speed that it would make a modern supercomputer look like a broken abacus. what kind of computer could factor quickly enough to break the rsa code in a short timeframe? a prime computer a theoretical computer a quantum computer a technological computer excerpt(s) from the code book: the evolution of secrecy from mary, queen of scots to quantum cryptography by simon singh, copyright © 1999 by simon singh. used by permission of doubleday, an imprint of the knopf

Explanation:

The text states that cryptanalysts need a technology billions of times faster than current computers and are looking towards quantum computers as a solution to perform calculations with extreme speed for factoring, such as breaking RSA code.

Answer:

C. a quantum computer