Quantum Hardware, Quantum Cryptography

LuxQuanta builds quantum keys on existing fiber networks

Avatar of Ivy Delaney
September 30, 2026 by Ivy Delaney

The threat isn’t a future possibility; intercepted communications are already at risk. LuxQuanta CEO Vanesa Díaz explains that encrypted data with a long lifespan, medical records, defense communications and government files, is vulnerable as quantum computing advances. LuxQuanta addresses this immediate concern with continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) systems that operate over existing fiber networks, a key differentiator as organizations like Europol and the European Commission sound the alarm about the quantum threat, the company says. “We fight Quantum with more Quantum,” Díaz states, outlining a path toward Europe’s quantum-safe future.

Luxquanta’s Continuous-Variable QKD System for Existing Fiber Networks

LuxQuanta’s NOVA LQ system, a 2U rack unit, distinguishes itself by operating over existing lit fiber alongside dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) data traffic, extending secure communication reach up to 100 km with a 20 dB loss budget. This capability circumvents the need for costly and logistically challenging dedicated “dark fiber” installations, a significant barrier to entry for many organizations considering quantum key distribution.

Validated in February 2026 over 100 km of standard single-mode fiber within Madrid’s MADQCI network, as part of the MADQuantum-CM programme, the system demonstrated coexistence with live DWDM signals, mirroring real-world network conditions, according to LuxQuanta. The company achieved a notable advancement in processing speed, reducing quantum key generation time from tens of seconds to fractions of a second, as reported to the European Union.

LuxQuanta’s continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD) relies on encoding information in the properties of light itself, rather than discrete photons, offering advantages in compatibility with existing telecommunications infrastructure. Founded in May 2021 as a spin-off from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona, the company built upon over four years of prior research incubated within the institute.

These early investors provided not only capital but also market understanding for a deep-tech company in the complex quantum cybersecurity field. The company’s growth from six employees at its inception to approximately 55, representing 17 nationalities, demonstrates a rapid scaling of expertise and operational capacity.

European Funding and Partnerships Fuel Luxquanta’s Hardware Development

Corporate investment has been instrumental in LuxQuanta’s growth, with early funding rounds originating from companies like Corning and GTD, both possessing direct market understanding. Last year’s €8 million Series A round broadened the investor base to include Telefónica through Wayra, GMV, Big Sur, A&G and the European Investment Council, demonstrating confidence in the company’s trajectory and technology.

Luxquanta Champions European Quantum Technology Sovereignty

LuxQuanta’s recent participation in the NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community (TQC) signals a broadening recognition of quantum key distribution (QKD) as a vital component of collective security, a move that extends beyond purely commercial applications. The TQC aims to formally evaluate and integrate quantum-safe technologies like QKD into the security roadmap of NATO allies, demonstrating a proactive approach to a rapidly evolving threat landscape. This engagement emphasises the growing international awareness of the need to secure communications against future decryption capabilities, and positions LuxQuanta as a key player in this effort.

The company’s ability to generate commercial revenue for three years while refining its product line demonstrates a successful transition from research to market viability, the firm reports. LuxQuanta’s commitment to establishing a European quantum technology base is further evidenced by its involvement in projects focused on local photonic chip fabrication, aligning with the European Union’s drive for industrial production, the company states. This ambition is supported by an €8 million Series A funding round completed last year, attracting investment from Telefónica, GMV and funds like Big Sur and A&G, alongside the European Investment Council.

Díaz emphasizes the critical need for organizations to begin migrating to quantum-safe networks now, rather than waiting for a definitive “winner” in the quantum technology race, to protect their most sensitive data from the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat. The company’s CV-QKD technology, which encodes keys in quantum states of light, offers a potential pathway to achieving this security, and is designed for integration into existing fiber-optic infrastructure, the company’s account states. This approach allows Europe to use its existing strengths and build a robust, independent quantum ecosystem.

Europe has “all the cards” to lead the commercialization of quantum technologies globally, provided it can translate research into industrial scale quickly enough.

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Cybersecurity European Union QKD Quantum Computing quantum key distribution
Avatar of Ivy Delaney

Ivy Delaney

Ivy Delaney has been working with neural networks and machine learning since the mid-nineties, back when a couple of hidden layers and a long afternoon of training counted as ambitious. She has watched the field go from academic curiosity to the thing quietly running underneath everything, and she brings that long view to quantum computing. For Quantum Zeitgeist she covers the ground where the two fields meet. That means quantum machine learning and the variational algorithms it leans on, and it also means the less glamorous but more interesting story of classical machine learning already doing real work inside quantum machines, decoding error-correcting codes, calibrating noisy hardware and learning the error models that simulators depend on. She writes about the hardware those algorithms have to run on too, and about the post-quantum cryptography scramble that the same hardware has set off. Her stories typically start with the paper, whether that is peer-reviewed work, conference proceedings or an arXiv preprint, with the source linked so you can hold a claim up against the research it came from. She is unimpressed by benchmarks that will not say what they beat, and by demonstrations that only work in the press release.

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