FEATURE

Europe is moving its quantum Internet ambitions out of the laboratory and towards infrastructure, committing € 47.5 million to an attempt to connect quantum networks across long distances and make them programmable from hardware through to applications.

he Quantum Internet Alliance

( QIA), a consortium of more than 50 institutions led by TU Delft, has secured the European Commission funding for the next phase of its programme to build a full-stack quantum Internet prototype.

The 42-month programme represents a critical change of emphasis. Instead of concentrating primarily on individual quantum technologies, QIA will attempt to integrate hardware, control electronics, networking protocols and software into an operational system capable of running quantum applications.

It is a formidable engineering challenge. Quantum networks are designed to distribute quantum information and entanglement between remote nodes, potentially enabling new forms of secure communications, distributed quantum computing and networked quantum sensing. But demonstrating those technologies independently is very different from building a network.

Individual components must work together across quantum hardware, conventional fibre, electronics, software and control systems. They must also function reliably enough for developers eventually to build applications without www. intelligentcio. com

INTELLIGENT CIO EUROPE

35