Irish Government, EU to invest €10m in quantum communications network

The Irish Government and the EU have announced a €10 million investment in a new network designed to safeguard the transmission of sensitive data and guard against cyberattacks.

The project, IrelandQCI, will see the roll out of the quantum communications infrastructure (QCI) network over two years. The project will use quantum channels over pre-existing fiber optic cables to build a network backbone from Dublin to Cork via Waterford. 

The Walton Institute will lead the project with additional partners at the Irish Centre for High-End Computing, Trinity College Dublin, Tyndall National Institute, University College Dublin, Maynooth University, HEAnet, and ESB Telecoms.

The Irish government will provide half of the funding and the EU will provide the remaining half. The network will become a component of a larger EU initiative called Quantum Communications Infrastructure (EuroQCI), which aims to create a quantum network infrastructure throughout the EU.

"Developing Ireland's first quantum communications infrastructure network will bring quantum technologies a step closer and will help Irish businesses, public agencies, and the general public to start building the skills needed to benefit from the quantum internet," said Ireland's minister of state at for environment, climate and communications Eamon Ryan.   

The EU seeks to make the EuroQCI a cornerstone of its new cybersecurity plan. 

The network will incorporate quantum-based systems into current communication infrastructures and add a security layer based on quantum physics. Its creation will strengthen the defense of Europe's governmental institutions and those of its data centers, hospitals, energy grids and other facilities. 

Several countries are working with the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) to make the EuroQCI fully operational by 2027. Participating countries are simultaneously designing and building their own national quantum communication networks. In addition, these countries plan to create cross-border connections to future ground and space networks.