The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology will host QCI Days 2026 in Padua, Italy, from September 28 to 30, with a sharpened focus on moving beyond quantum communication demonstrations to practical, cross-border deployments. This year’s event centers on activity from the CEF Digital and EuroQCI projects, alongside the emerging IRIS² quantum communication infrastructure.
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology Organizes QCI Days 2026 in Padua
This conference arrives after the completion of phase 1 of the EuroQCI project, signaling a move toward establishing international quantum networks and addressing the challenges of cross-border deployments. The event’s program specifically targets space-based quantum communication, post-quantum cryptography and the standardization necessary for interoperability between emerging quantum systems. AIT’s involvement extends beyond hosting; the institute has a long history of building the foundational components for quantum communication networks.
Founded in 2009 and employing approximately 1400 people, AIT develops entangled-photon QKD systems and components, having previously coordinated the OPENQKD testbed which deployed 40 QKD systems across over 1,000 kilometers of fiber. Current work focuses on both terrestrial and satellite segments of EuroQCI, alongside miniaturized, chip-scale quantum applications, using its expertise in areas like single photon detection and high-precision timing.
The company builds the QKD systems, key management layers and quantum entropy sources critical for secure key generation, and will showcase its single photon detection technology, QCI Days 2026 says. AIT’s secuQUEST activity provides quantum risk assessment and quantum-safe architecture review measured against the ISO 2700x standards, and ARCHISTAR covers information-theoretically secure storage of sensitive data. Registration details and the full program for QCI Days 2026 are available online, offering a platform for stakeholders to discuss the next steps in realizing a secure, interconnected quantum future.
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