Towards a Quantum enabled Cloud

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) facilitates the secure sharing of encryption keys using quantum technology. These keys can encrypt data for transmission over conventional fibre links across any distance, but QKD itself is limited over fibre to around 150km with current technology. Beyond this, 'trusted nodes' are required, but at major risk of creating security vulnerabilities. A number of dark fibre QKD networks are being built, including in the UK, but all are subject to this constraint. QKD through free space is less sensitive to distance. Thus, satellites provide the means for distributing keys across very large distances between end users spread across countries or continents - they are a facilitator of global QKD networks. Satellite components in QKD networks are being planned or researched in a number of countries. A consortium led by Arqit aims to establish the world's first commercial QKD satellite constellation. The first satellite is being built under contract with the European Space Agency, with further satellite already being developed.

This project aims to overcome important barriers to the adoption of QKD based infrastructure and services by government customers that will need accreditation. We will establish sector specific demonstrators of the service prior to satellite launch to support live end to end demonstrations, enabling customer integration to accelerate adoption; develop QKD optimised detectors to enhance performance of optical ground receivers whilst reducing cost; address operational security by performing practical side channel attacks on key elements of the system; and develop satellite specific QKD standards, supported by generating portable test equipment to support interoperability testing with other satellite QKD systems.