NTU Develops QKD Chip Using Standard Materials and Only .12 Inches in Size

(ScienceAlert) Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed a QKD chip just 3 millimetres (0.12 inches) in size – an impressive feat considering similar quantum computing setups can be as large as a fridge or even take up an entire office floor. That opens up all kinds of new possibilities for this type of quantum tech.
It is like sending a secured letter,” says physicist Kwek Leong Chuan, from NTU. “Imagine that the person who wrote the letter locked the message in an envelope with its key also inside it. The recipient needs the same key to open it.Quantum technology ensures that the key distribution is secure, preventing any tampering to the key.”
The new solution developed by the scientists at NTU should be relatively easy and cheap to produce, as it uses standard industry materials like silicon, that are already widely used in computer manufacturing.
For now though, this is still just a “proof-of-principle” chip – it shows what can be done, but it’s not ready for widespread production or use just yet.