Network Security: A Pioneer Market for Quantum Memories

(IQT.Blog) Quantum memories are devices that store a quantum states. Today, they are one of the most complex areas of quantum technology currently being developed; on par with quantum computers themselves. Quantum memories are seen as the key to next generation networking nodes, quantum repeaters and while quantum memories may come to have many applications, it is in quantum repeaters that they are likely to find their first commercial applications.
In trusted node networks, although data is quantum secure for much of the route, someone theoretically can intercept data at that node, since it goes from quantum to classical and then back. In addition to the bad guys, data is fairly transparent to the employees of service providers, for example. With a network constructed quantum memory everything remains quantum at every step and is intrinsically quantum secure.
While the above is widely understood, what has not been discussed that much is what type of markets really need ultra-secure nodes built around quantum memories. As the Exhibit below suggests, in this area much will depend on who owns and who operates the network as to whether or not quantum memory-based networking has economic value. We illustrate this point in the Exhibit below.
If you want to find out more about quantum memories and their applications, visit the Inside Quantum Technology-Europe conference on October 29 and 30 i