Quantum News Briefs November 11: Singtel Expands Suite of Quantum-Safe Offerings to Protect Enterprises • 85% of India’s Industry Leaders Call for Major Investments in Quantum Computing • Ericsson & Government of Canada Deal Invests More than Half a Billion Canadian Dollars into R&D for Mobile Networks, AI, & Quantum Technologies • IonQ and NKT Photonics Team Up for Quantum Lasers • Compact Error Correction: Towards a More Efficient Quantum ‘Hard Drive’

Singaporean telecommunications company Singtel has announced that it will be enhancing its suite of quantum-safe offerings to help enterprises fortify their defenses against cyber threats and scale more securely in the quantum age as reported by November 11 ITWire.
Singtel says this involves integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) technology, which is algorithms engineered to resist the computational power of attacks from quantum computers, from leading cybersecurity solutions providers, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet, into Singtel’s nationwide Quantum Safe Network (QSN).
As part of the collaboration, Palo Alto Networks will protect against quantum threats with a PQC IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) virtual private network (VPN), using the new post-quantum encryption standards established by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology for secure data transmission and authentication.

85% of India’s Industry Leaders Call for Major Investments in Quantum Computing

Eighty five per cent of 200 executives and senior leaders surveyed in India advocated for intensified efforts in quantum research and talent development according to November 11 article in Lastly.
Investment in research and development (R&D) ranks highest with 74.5 per cent of respondents calling for substantial funding increases to drive quantum technology innovation and secure India’s competitive position globally,
Skilled workforce development is also pivotal at 61.7 per cent.
Devroop Dhar, Co-founder and Managing Director of Primus Partners pointed out, “. . .Our survey clearly indicates that industry leaders recognise the urgent need for investment and development in this field. . .””..

Ericsson & Government of Canada Deal Invests More than Half a Billion Canadian Dollars into R&D for Mobile Networks, AI, & Quantum Technologies

Ericsson and the Government of Canada announced the signing of an expanded funding agreement that will see Ericsson invest more than CAD $630 million in its Canadian R&D operations as per November 7 news release on Ericsson site.
This funding increase will further enhance Ericsson’s R&D capabilities at its research facilities in Ottawa and Montreal creating and upskilling hundreds of jobs and internships and strengthening these sites as global leaders in 5G Advanced, 6G, AI, Cloud RAN, quantum, and network API technologies.
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, explained: “Our partnership with Ericsson solidifies Canada’s position as a leader in next-generation networks. With the increased investment, we’ll not only support the 5G networks of today, but also advance the technologies that will shape our future and continue to make Canada a leader in these areas.”
Ericsson’s R&D centres in Montreal and Ottawa will focus on the development of quantum communications and AI-powered network management, while also expanding its Cloud RAN, 5G Advanced, and 6G capabilities. The investment will further support the expansion of research facilities and staffing for quantum computing at Ericsson’s Quantum Research Hub in Montreal and further grow Ericsson’s already strong partnerships with more than 20 Canadian post-secondary institutions.

IonQ and NKT Photonics Team Up for Quantum Lasers

IonQ recently announced a new partnership with NKT Photonics, a subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics, to develop next-generation laser systems aimed at powering IonQ’s quantum computing hardware. The collaboration, unveiled today, involves NKT Photonics delivering three prototype optical subsystems to IonQ in 2025. These systems are set to bolster IonQ’s upcoming data center-ready quantum computers, including the IonQ Tempo and future barium-based systems, supporting their goal of scalable and commercially viable quantum computing for enterprise applications.
NKT Photonics will supply fiber laser-based technologies designed for modularity, reliability, and rack-mount integration, crucial for data center deployment. These laser systems will address specific wavelength and power requirements critical for IonQ’s barium-based trapped-ion systems, delivering key advantages in performance, cost, and lead time. IonQ’s expanded supply chain, which includes the recent opening of the first U.S.-based manufacturing facility for quantum computers, underscores its commitment to establishing a reliable path for commercial quantum systems.
• Partnership for next-generation laser systems in quantum computing
• NKT Photonics to deliver three prototype optical subsystems to IonQ in 2025
• Systems will support IonQ’s Tempo and future barium-based quantum systems
• Fiber laser technology offers improvements in cost, size, weight, and power (SWAP)
• IonQ recently opened a quantum computer manufacturing facility in the U.S.

Compact Error Correction: Towards a More Efficient Quantum ‘Hard Drive’

University of Sydney quantum researchers Dominic Williamson and Nouédyn Baspin have revealed a transformative new architecture for managing errors that emerge in the operation of quantum computers.
Their innovative theoretical approach promises to not only enhance the reliability of quantum information storage but also significantly reduce the physical computing resources needed to create ‘logical qubits’ (or ‘quantum switches’ that can perform useful calculations). This should lead to the development of a more compact “quantum hard drive”. The study has been published in Nature Communications.
Lead author Dr Dominic Williamson from the University of Sydney Nano Institute and School of Physics said: “There remain significant barriers to overcome in the development of a universal quantum computer. One of the biggest is the fact we need to use most of the qubits – quantum switches at the heart of the machines – to suppress the errors that emerge as a matter of course within the technology.
“Our proposed quantum architecture will require fewer qubits to suppress more errors, liberating more for useful quantum processing,” said Dr Williamson, who is currently working for 12 months as a quantum researcher at IBM.
At the heart of their theoretical architecture is a three-dimensional structure that allows for quantum error correction across two-dimensions. Current error correction architecture, also constructed within a 3D system of qubits, works to reduce errors in just one dimension along a single line of connected qubits.
Error correction is performed by writing code that operates through the qubit structure, a latticework of how the ‘quantum switches’ are organised. The objective is to win an ‘arms race’ where physical qubits are used to suppress errors as they emerge, by using as few qubits as possible to reduce errors.