13 July 2021
In the era of the information revolution and the dominance of big data, ensuring full communication security is not an easy task. The major world powers have therefore begun to invest more resources in the field of quantum physics, exploiting its enormous potential to make unprecedented progress in several strategic areas, including cybersecurity, logistics, communication, healthcare, and others. The European Union also decided to row in the same direction. Indeed, on 31 May 2021, the European Commission finally selected a consortium led by Airbus and composed of several companies and research institutes, including Leonardo, PwC France and Maghreb, Orange, Telespazio, the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (Inrim) and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) to study and design the future EU quantum communication network (Airbus, 2021). Through the new European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI), the EU aims to ensure ultra-secure communication between government institutions and critical infrastructures across the Union.
The origin of the project dates back to June 2019, when seven member states decided to join their efforts to develop a quantum communication system. Since then, the number has grown to 26 member states that have signed the EuroQCI declaration, agreeing to work together with the European Commission and with the support of the European Space Agency in the development of the communication infrastructure that will cover the entire space of the European Union (Rainbow, 2021). The project includes several areas and competences ranging from security to fibre optics, from communications to space. Indeed, it includes a terrestrial component that will lead to the integration of quantum technologies and systems in the earth-based fibre-optic communication networks, and a space segment that will guarantee complete coverage throughout the European Union and other continents (European Commission, 2021). The initiative will ensure the protection of critical systems and infrastructures, such as European government institutions, health facilities, electricity and water networks, and others against current and future cyber threats. The European Union, therefore, aims to position the EuroQCI project at the basis of a European quantum Internet, which will lead to the connection of computers, sensors, and simulators through quantum networks, allowing the conservation of data and the exchange of information and resources in a secure way (Romano, 2021).
The first to use the EuroQCI network will be the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) service, an ultra-advanced form of encryption that is based on the transmission of optical and non-radio signals, both on optical fibre and space laser links. For this reason, it is inviolable even to quantum computers. This method will allow to securely distribute authentication keys, such as pins and passwords, by encoding information on quantum states of light and will allow the detection of a potential intrusion (Licata, 2021). Using quantum photon states will therefore render the distribution key immune to vulnerabilities that currently plague many other forms of mathematical function-based cryptography and will guarantee the security of data and communication (Airbus, 2021).
To implement the initiative, the European Union has already launched a pilot project, the Open European Quantum Key Distribution testbed (OPENQKD), which involves the installation of a quantum communication infrastructure in several European countries. It aims to develop a QKD-based experimental testbed and test existing equipment supplied by different quantum component manufacturers. As specified by the European Commission (2021b), OPENQKD will focus on several key sectors, in particular, telecommunications, where it is necessary to protect data traffic in transit and at rest but will also be applied for the protection of medical and government data or the transmission of secure control signals in the electricity grid. Furthermore, the project will be oriented towards the development of a European ecosystem for quantum energy suppliers and application developers, will contribute to the identification of new use cases by supporting Start-Ups and SMEs and will provide for the development of safety standards and certifications for this infrastructure (Ibid.). To achieve these objectives, the OPENQKD project will be directly funded with 15 million euros by the European Commission (Licata, 2021).
However, while cryptography is currently at the most advanced state of emerging quantum technologies that are expected to become part of our daily lives, in the coming years, other technologies will also allow us to do things that are simply impossible today. Thanks to these quantum technologies, it will be possible to look deep underground or under the sea and perform complex computational tasks, such as modelling biomolecular and chemical reactions, that the most powerful supercomputers are currently unable to handle. Quantum will allow sensitive information to be sent securely anywhere and diagnose diseases more quickly and accurately by looking inside cells (European Commission, 2021). This advance is part of what is called “the second quantum revolution”, which exploits the principles of quantum physics discovered in the first half of the last century to detect and manipulate individual particles and their interconnections and physical interactions and develop new technologies: quantum electromechanical systems, quantum information technology, coherent quantum electronics, quantum optics and coherent matter technology (Research Italy, 2017).
Therefore, given the importance of this sector, the EU felt the need to invest more resources in quantum research. In 2016, the European Commission planned an investment of one billion euros in the Quantum Technologies Flagship (QTF) project, a long-term research and innovation initiative that brings together research institutes, industry and public funders (Tanlongo, 2016). The project was launched in 2018 to bring Europe to the forefront of the second quantum revolution, strengthening its scientific leadership and excellence in quantum technology research. Indeed, QTF is expected to support the work of hundreds of quantum physics researchers over the decade. The project aims to support the transformation of European research into commercial applications that fully exploit the disruptive potential of quantum. During the first phase of the initiative, from October 2018 to September 2021, the EU is expected to allocate a budget of 152 million for a total of 24 projects in four main application areas: quantum computing; quantum simulation; quantum communication, and quantum metrology and detection. At the same time, it funds research on the basic science behind quantum technologies, as well as education and international cooperation in quantum technologies (European Commission 2021c).
But the EU must face competition from other international actors, especially China and the US, which continue to invest heavily in quantum technology. The Asian superpower has already presented a plan that is worth four times the European QTF, while in the United States, IBM, Intel and Microsoft are focusing heavily on quantum computing, and Google is approaching the realisation of the supremacy chip, the first quantum chip that will allow to carry out calculations hitherto impossible to perform (Research Italy, 2017). Shortly, the EU will therefore have to do more to stand up to international competitors. To do this, more investments in research and development projects are needed.
In the meantime, the EuroQCI is an excellent starting point. Overall, the consortium study will last 15 months and will have to design the ground segment to support the QKD service and define the details of the end-to-end system, developing a detailed program, which includes the timing and costs of all stages of implementation. To this end, the consortium will benefit from the complementarity of its members, which include large systems integrators, telecommunications, Satcom operators and service providers, along with research institutes, and the study will leverage by strengthening each member’s already existing contributions in various quantum projects (Airbus 2021).
In conclusion, the European Union looks to the future and the need to fully exploit the potential of quantum physics to build an extremely secure communication infrastructure between critical national structures and institutions. As remarked by Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s General Manager, “this could be the basis for creating a quantum Internet that allows communication between computers with higher power and computing speed and quantum sensors of extraordinary accuracy, will allow analysis and prediction capabilities on an unprecedented scale and in total safety. All this will have a tangible impact for business development in multiple domains: from cyber security to defence electronics, up to space” (Romano 2021).
Written by Vlad MELNIC, Researcher at Finabel – European Army Interoperability Centre
Sources
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European Commission (2021). “Quantum”. [online] Available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/quantum
European Commission (2021b). “New quantum project aims for ultra-secure communication in Europe”. [online] Available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/new-quantum-project-aims-ultra-secure-communication-europe
European Commission (2021c). “Quantum Technologies Flagship”. [online] Available at: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/quantum-technologies-flagship
European Commission (2021d). “Open European Quantum Key Distribution Testbed”. [online] Available at: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/857156
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