Stephanie Wehner, Director of the European Quantum Internet Alliance and Professor at QuTech, has received the 1 million Körber European Science Prize in recognition of her research into the development of a quantum internet. This ultra-secure network aims to facilitate new computing applications and is underpinned by Wehner’s recent innovation, QNodeOS – the first operating system designed to interconnect diverse quantum devices without requiring specialist quantum expertise. Wehner intends to utilise the prize funding to expand this work, to connect metropolitan quantum networks across Europe by 2030, thereby bolster European leadership in quantum technologies and associated digital business innovation.
Quantum Internet Research Receives Recognition
The award of the Körber European Science Prize to Stephanie Wehner acknowledges significant advances in the development of the quantum internet. This network aims to deliver enhanced security and computational capabilities compared to current communication infrastructures, promising a revolution in data transmission and processing. Her work focuses on the software infrastructure necessary to connect diverse quantum devices and enable complex quantum applications. The prize funding will support expansion of this work, with a stated goal of establishing interconnected metropolitan quantum networks across Europe by 2030, solidifying European leadership in quantum technologies.
Development of QNodeOS and Quantum Networks
QNodeOS addresses a critical challenge in quantum network development: the heterogeneity of quantum hardware. Existing quantum devices, such as trapped ion systems, superconducting qubits, and photonic sources, employ differing control protocols and data formats, hindering the creation of larger, more complex networks. The operating system abstracts these underlying hardware differences, presenting a unified interface to application developers, fostering a more versatile and scalable quantum infrastructure.
The architecture of QNodeOS incorporates principles of software-defined networking, enabling dynamic configuration and resource allocation within the quantum network. This is achieved through a layered approach, separating the application layer from the underlying quantum hardware, facilitating updates and improvements to individual components without disrupting the entire system. Furthermore, the operating system supports quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, essential for establishing secure communication channels over the quantum internet.
Establishing metropolitan quantum networks by 2030 requires overcoming substantial technological hurdles, including maintaining quantum coherence over long distances and ensuring compatibility of different network nodes. Wehner’s team actively researches integrated photonic circuits as a potential solution for building compact and scalable quantum network components, generating, manipulating, and detecting single photons, the fundamental carriers of quantum information. The successful deployment of such networks will necessitate collaboration between research institutions, industry partners, and government agencies across Europe.
European Quantum Network Expansion Plans
The proposed pan-European network builds upon existing national quantum communication initiatives, aiming to create a unified infrastructure for secure data transmission and distributed quantum processing. This necessitates standardisation of interfaces and protocols to ensure interoperability between independently developed network segments, a task in which Wehner’s team actively participates. They collaborate with bodies such as the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to define these standards, ensuring a cohesive and functional network.
Beyond secure communication, the interconnected network will facilitate access to distributed quantum computing resources, allowing users to leverage the combined processing power of multiple quantum computers. This model promises to solve problems intractable for even the most powerful classical supercomputers, requiring efficient methods for distributing quantum algorithms and managing entanglement between remote quantum processors. A key aspect of the expansion plan involves the development of quantum network testbeds in major European cities, serving as proving grounds for new technologies and protocols.
These testbeds will allow researchers and industry partners to evaluate performance in real-world conditions, with data gathered from these deployments informing the design of the full-scale metropolitan networks. The economic impact of a functioning quantum internet extends beyond enhanced security and computational capabilities, anticipating new business models in areas such as quantum cryptography-as-a-service and secure cloud computing. The development of a skilled workforce capable of designing, building, and operating these networks is therefore a critical priority.
The long-term sustainability of the network relies on the development of commercially viable quantum repeaters, which amplify quantum signals without destroying the fragile quantum states. Current limitations in photon transmission distances necessitate these devices, with research efforts focused on various repeater architectures, including those based on entangled photon pairs and quantum memories. The successful implementation of efficient and reliable quantum repeaters is essential for extending the range and capacity of the quantum internet.
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