Launch of the Quantum Secure Networks Partnership (QSNP)

Quantum Technologies: The Future of Secure Communications

Digital communications have been key players in all connectivity advances society has experienced in these last decades. The rapidly growing number of interconnected devices and systems, along with the massive amounts of data they transmit, highlights the urgent need to safeguard sensitive information.

We are aware that most networks are public and may be easy targets to attacks by hackers. Therefore, one of the major concerns for all users nowadays is security. There is an imperative need to secure our information as much as possible so no one can have access to it. The constant increase in computer processing capabilities is making many existing cryptography techniques, currently used to secure our information, vulnerable.

March 1^st, 2023, has been the official launch of the Quantum Secure Networks Partnership, or QSNP, a new project in the area of quantum communications of the Quantum Flagship. Coordinated by ICREA Prof. at ICFO, Valerio Pruneri, QSNP brings together more than 40 partners from all over Europe, ranging from academia, foundries and RTOs, SMEs and spin-offs, to network and cryptography integrators and telecom operators. In the time span of 3.5 years and with a budget of 25M€, these experts in the field of quantum technologies will seek to fulfil three main goals.

The Future of Secure Communications

Firstly, they will develop advanced quantum technology for quantum secure communication networks against the ever-increasing power of computers and the sophistication of algorithms, even for quantum computers. That is, they will work on the development and deployment of next generation protocols based on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) cryptography techniques, that can help reduce the security assumptions needed for the networks, extend the range of secure communication, and search for new functionalities that could beyond these techniques.

Secondly, they will aim to integrate this innovative quantum cryptography technology not only at the component, system and network levels, but also into existing classical telecommunication systems and post-quantum protocols, assuring an additional layer of ultra-secure communications in this hybrid classical-quantum network.

Finally, they will apply all the know-how and capabilities acquired, as well as the technology developed, into different use cases, mainly into delivering critical European technology for government infrastructures such as the European Quantum Communications Infrastructure (EuroQCI). In doing so, they identify potential users, including those in authentication, long-term secure storage, critical infrastructure protection, clock synchronization, and primitives beyond QKD, to provide robust solutions for their needs. Additionally, the project is a launchpad for future applications, exploiting new capabilities, evaluating new cost-effective features, measuring use/integration easiness levels, and exploring new sectors where quantum technologies can take over markets that current technology does not reach

Pioneering Quantum Cryptography Solutions

As Valerio Pruneri mentions, “We are thrilled to commence this innovative program. With QSNP, we are now moving out into the terrain where we will be able to develop further and most of all test the research development carried out in the first phase of the flagship. With the +40 entities within this gran consortium, we expect to achieve unprecedented performances and new designs for application-specific cryptography, covering the full chain from quantum fundamental to product development.”

As the official launch of the project has occurred, the first in person meeting with all the consortium partners will be held at ICFO premises in Barcelona, from 24-25 April, 2023.

 

List of the Consortium Partners

Participant	Institution	Country
Academic Partners
1	ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences (Coordinator)	Spain
2	Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique	France
3	Institut Polytechnique de Paris	France
4	Technical University of Denmark	Denmark
5	Universidad Politécnica de Madrid	Spain
6	Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg	Germany
7	QuTech, at the Technical University Delft	Netherlands
8	Università di Padova	Italy
9	AIT Austrian Institute of Technology	Austria
10	Palacky University Olomouc	Czech Rep.
11	Instituto Superior Técnico	Portugal
12	Universidade de Vigo	Spain
13	Katholieke Universiteit Leuven	Belgium
14	Universität Wien	Austria
15	Université libre de Bruxelles	Belgium
16	University of Warsaw	Poland
17	University of Malta	Malta
18	Institute of Communications and Computer Systems	Greece
19	Universität Paderborn	Germany
20	Inria	France
21	National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)	Greece
22	Insitituto De Telecomunicacoes	Portugal
23	Politecnico di Bari	Italy
Foundries & RTOS
24	Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut	Germany
25	Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives	France
26	Technische Universiteit Eindhoven	Netherland
27	Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre	Belgium
28	University College Cork	Ireland
Spin-offs and SMEs
29	QuSide	Spain
30	LuxQuanta	Spain
31	Micro Photon Devices	Italy
32	ThinkQuantum	Italy
33	VPIphotonics GmbH	Germany
34	Alea Quantum Technologies ApS	Denmark
35	Q*Bird	Nertherlands
Network & Crypto Integrators
36	Cryptonext Security	France
37	Nokia Bell Labs	France
38	Nextworks	Italy
Telecom Operators
39	Deutsche Telekom	Germany
40	Telefónica	Spain
41	TIM S.p.A	Italy
42	Orange SA	France

 

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