- Quantum networks still wait for a ChatGPT-type breakthrough as challenges to scale remain, said EPB
- EPB launched the first U.S. commercial quantum network, and the field is growing globally
- Cybersecurity concerns drive urgency for quantum communication
Quantum networking is progressing rapidly, but unlike AI it has yet to reach its “ChatGPT moment” in becoming a scalable, real-world application, said EPB CEO David Wade.
Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, EPB is an electric utility that launched the first commercially available quantum network in the U.S. It also operates a municipal fiber network for the city.
Wade noted the quantum network is currently used by universities, researchers and even some private companies. However, the quantum space is still missing “that real application” to show the world the technology actually works in practice.
“The technology is becoming proven. It’s a matter of scaling and getting it to the right scale and reducing error rates,” he told Fierce.
Aiming to further position itself as a quantum innovator, EPB plans to install a quantum computer from IonQ, and the two companies will jointly develop the first U.S. quantum technology center. IonQ notably acquired Qubitekk, which originally partnered with EPB to get its quantum network off the ground.
Will an on-site quantum computer impact EPB’s network operations? Not yet. Quantum computers and quantum networks right now can’t communicate the same way classical networks can with their computers, Wade explained.
Unlike current computers (which use binary bits), quantum computing uses qubits, which can be made of atoms, photons or other elements, to relay information.
“The technology is not there for them to talk to each other,” he said.
But EPB hopes to set the foundation for what could eventually become the quantum internet. McKinsey predicts the quantum communications market could reach $14.9 billion by 2035, driven by growing demand from both the public and private sectors as well as the need to address mounting cybersecurity concerns.
The quantum security risk
“Certainly we all realize that there are continual threats to all of us, including electric facilities,” said Wade.
There’s also the worry that quantum computers could soon become powerful enough to break classical network encryption – a moment referred to as “Q-Day.” Nobody really knows when/if that day will happen; estimates range from the late 2020s to as late as the mid-21st century.
But Q-Day “may represent an inflection point in the adoption of quantum computing and is expected to spur quantum communication countermeasures to secure data and communications networks,” McKinsey said in its report.
Quantum is like any technology, “you’ve got good players and you’ve got bad players,” said Wade. With a quantum computer in its arsenal, EPB wants to better understand the cybersecurity risks posed by quantum networking and figure out how its own network can more effectively “[detect] things that are getting communicated over a transmission piece of fiber.”
Quantum networking moves around the world
EPB is far from the only quantum networking trailblazer.
China has a 2,000-kilometer quantum communications backbone that spans from Beijing to Shanghai. South Korea’s SK Telecom is helping businesses deploy quantum-secure network infrastructure, and BT is partnering with Toshiba and Equinix to provide quantum-secure connectivity between data centers.
Quantum computing could perhaps help telcos restore services in case a crisis brings down a large part of the network, according to Spanish vendor Cinfo. A pretty pertinent endeavor, given a massive power outage across Spain and Portugal this week took a toll on telecom infrastructure. The cause of the blackout remains unclear.