Blind Quantum Computing Advances with Japan-France Collaboration

A collaborative research project between Japanese quantum hardware startup NanoQT and French secure quantum communication specialist VeriQloud has received funding under the EUREKA Globalstars Japan programme, co-funded by NEDO (Japan) and Bpifrance (France). The partnership will focus on developing a scalable and secure quantum computing framework integrating NanoQT’s nanofiber cavity technology with VeriQloud’s expertise in Blind Quantum Computing (BQC) – a protocol enabling users to delegate computations to a quantum processor without revealing the underlying data. The project aims to create a BQC-ready architecture for neutral atom Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) with a fast quantum network interface, addressing a current gap in scalable hardware implementations and advancing the delivery of practical, privacy-preserving quantum services.

NanoQT and VeriCloud are jointly designing a system that minimises the number of qubits, gate operations, and communication bandwidth required for secure computation, while maintaining robust security guarantees. This optimisation process considers the unique coherence properties and gate fidelities of NanoQT’s neutral atom architecture, ensuring efficient and reliable performance. The core of this initiative lies in developing a scalable quantum framework that overcomes limitations inherent in current BQC implementations, particularly concerning resource demands and hardware integration. VeriCloud is concentrating on tailoring BQC protocols to the specific characteristics of neutral atom hardware, minimising resource requirements and mitigating the impact of noise and imperfections inherent in physical QPUs.

A crucial element of this framework is the development of a fast quantum network interface leveraging nanofiber cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), which enables entanglement distribution and quantum state transfer between neutral atom QPUs. Precise control over the interaction between atoms and photons within the nanofiber cavity is crucial for maintaining coherence and enabling reliable quantum communication. This interface facilitates a distributed computing paradigm essential for tackling complex computations and bolstering security, addressing the persistent challenge of maintaining coherence during quantum communication. The framework incorporates a fast quantum network interface based on nanofiber cavity QED, enabling efficient entanglement distribution and quantum state transfer between neutral atom QPUs.

The project prioritises the development of software tools and interfaces that simplify the integration of BQC into existing quantum computing workflows, lowering the barrier to entry for users seeking to leverage the benefits of secure, delegated quantum computation. This focus on practical deployment extends to streamlining the process of encoding input data, submitting computations to the quantum computer, and decoding the results. Error mitigation techniques are being explored and tailored specifically for BQC implementations on neutral atom platforms, developing strategies to detect and correct errors arising during computation without compromising data privacy.

These techniques aim to address imperfections in quantum gates and mitigate the effects of environmental noise, ensuring reliable and accurate results. The development of robust error correction codes and protocols compatible with BQC is central to achieving fault-tolerant quantum computation. The resulting system will undergo rigorous evaluation against established security benchmarks to validate its resistance to known quantum attacks.

The project’s focus extends to rigorous evaluation against established security benchmarks, validating the system’s resistance to known quantum attacks and assessing its vulnerability to various threats, including man-in-the-middle attacks and denial-of-service attacks. This comprehensive security assessment will quantify the level of protection provided by the BQC protocol and hardware implementation, considering the impact of realistic noise and imperfections. This co-development process ensures that the theoretical underpinnings of BQC are effectively translated into a functional and robust system, paving the way for practical implementation.