Two New Quantum Networking Collaborations Announced in Canada and the Netherlands

Two different quantum networking collaborations have been announced separately in Canada and the Netherlands. The first is called the Canadian Quantum Network (CQN) and will include Xanadu, MaRS (a launchpad for Canadian startups), and the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL). They will start by creating a three node network in the Toronto area connecting the three organizations using fiber optic cables and it is expected to be operational by 2021. A longer term vision is to create a network nationwide across Canada. A quantum network is different from a classical network because the information is encoded in qubits rather than bits. This can be used to provide additional functionality which cannot be implemented in a classical network including quantum secure communications, quantum sensing, and distributed quantum computing. Additional information about the Canadian Quantum Network can be found in the news release posted here. The Dutch consortium will include QuTech (a partnership between TU Delft and TNO), KPN (a mobile telecom company), SURF (a cooperative association of Dutch educational and research institutions), and OPNT (a telecommunications equipment supplier). The partners will create a quantum network within the Randstad metropolitan area of central-western Netherlands which includes the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague and Utrecht. This effort is a TKI (Top consortium for Knowledge and Innovation) High Tech Systems & Materials project. In additional to providing secure communications due to the laws of quantum physics this effort will have as a focus connecting different quantum processors a significant distance apart over a Dutch network. Additional information about this quantum network can be found on the news release posted on the QuTech web site here.

November 25, 2020