Researchers build the fastest laser-based random number generator

A team of international scientists has developed a laser that can generate 254 trillion random digits per second, more than a hundred times faster than computer-based random number generators (RNG). Though random number generation has been around for thousands of years, it is increasingly important in computing as it forms the basis of cryptography. With more devices online than ever before, the need for faster encryption that can keep out bad actors has become more crucial. That's why the new system could be a game-changer: It can generate 250 terabytes of random bits per second. In fact, it was so fast that the team behind it struggled to record its output using a high-speed camera.