Quantum News Briefs September 6: Quantum Computing Inc. and European-Based Assured Cyber Protection Ltd enter into sales and teaming agreement; Arqit launches the world’s first integrated solution for quantum-safe VPN connectivity using Symmetric Key Agreement; NSF awards 18 universities a total of $29M for quantum sensing research + MORE

Quantum News Briefs September 6:

Quantum Computing Inc. and European-Based Assured Cyber Protection Ltd enter into sales and teaming agreement

Quantum Computing Inc. announced on September 5 the signing of a strategic sales and teaming agreement with AI-empowered cybersecurity assessment, continuous detection, and mitigation company, Assured Cyber Protection Ltd (“Recyber”). Quantum News Briefs summarizes.
The key objective of the strategic sales and teaming agreement between QCi and Recyber is to coordinate efforts to market and deliver both companies’ proprietary cyber security technologies and products. This initiative is a key step in the product roadmap to achieve a Zero-Trust (as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology) network environment using quantum authentication and Post Quantum Cryptography solutions. The companies believe that these solutions will have a near immediate global impact on the state-of-play in cyber security.
The companies believe that the novel and innovative technologies they each offer are complementary and provide opportunities to deliver cutting-edge solutions in a growth area, ahead of the curve. To launch the relationship, the companies have initially identified 13 sales opportunities with large, well-known international organizations within the healthcare, education, government, and banking sectors, and have advanced cross-sector discussions with several longstanding relationships. The terms of the teaming agreement require that the party initiating a client engagement receives 10% of the gross revenue generated on the engagement, over the term of the teaming agreement, with the remaining revenue to be divided up based on the tasks and technology solutions implemented. The length of the agreement is for one year with automatic renewable terms of one-year periods.
Recyber, based in London and Geneva, is a privately held cybersecurity company that combines automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced technology to reduce a business’ cybersecurity risk by analyzing and modifying organizational and human behavior patterns and processes. Its endpoint, agent-based software platform accurately monitors, evaluates, detects, and mitigates cyber risk, resulting in a scalable and easy-to-use solution. Click to read the announcement in-entirety.

Arqit launches the world’s first integrated solution for quantum-safe VPN connectivity using Symmetric Key Agreement

Arqit Quantum Inc. today announced September 5  the availability of the world’s first integrated solution for quantum-safe VPN communications. Quantum News Briefs summarizes the announceent.
Arqit’s QuantumCloud™ is the world’s first fully scalable cloud-based symmetric key agreement platform, capable of creating zero trust quantum-safe encryption keys at any device. By integrating QuantumCloud™ with Juniper Networks® vSRX Virtual Firewall, the resulting solution enables quantum-safe encrypted connectivity between customer locations, keeping data safe both at rest and in transit. Arqit’s QuantumCloud uses unique symmetric key agreement software to provide quantum-safe keys which are used by Juniper SRX devices during the formation of secure tunnels.
Juniper’s vSRX Virtual Firewall supports the ETSI 014 standard and RFC8784 for IPsec, resulting in the first GA product supporting flexibility and scalability in generating and using symmetric keys from various sources, including Arqit’s symmetric keys.
Samantha Madrid, Group Vice President, Security Business and Strategy at Juniper Networks said, “Juniper is thrilled to be working with Arqit through our technology alliance to enable quantum-safe encrypted connectivity using the QuantumCloud Platform. It is imperative that innovation efforts continue in cybersecurity as threats continue to proliferate in tandem with the pace of digitalisation. Juniper and Arqit are paving the way for safe and reliable cybersecurity solutions to deliver the best experience for organisations and businesses.” Click here to read the announcement in-entirety.

NSF awards 18 universities a total of $29M for quantum sensing research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded 18 university research teams across the country a total of $29 million to conduct research on quantum-scale sensors according to article by Jose Rascon in Meritalk. Quantum News Briefs summarizes.
Each research team will receive between $1 million to $2 million over four years to conduct research into quantum phenomena and conduct a “broad range of exploratory research activities,” stated the agency.

Related: IQT’s QUANTUM CYBERSECURITY, NETWORKING & SENSORS event in NYC is October 24-26, 2023

The awards are part of the “NSF’s broader strategy to realize the scientific and technological advances called for in 2018’s ‘National Quantum Initiative Act’ and, specifically, 2022’s Bringing Quantum Sensors to Fruition report from the National Science and Technology Council,” stated the agency.
“For decades, scientific exploration at the quantum scale has yielded surprising discoveries about how our universe works — and tantalizing possibilities for quantum-enabled technologies,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.
Research universities receiving the new funding include:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• University of Nevada, Reno
• University of Oregon
• University of California, Los Angeles
• Case Western Reserve University
• West Virginia University
• University of Colorado Boulder
• University of California, Santa Barbara

Click here to read original Meritalk article about these grants.

Quantized Technologies encrypts data using quantum photons

UCalgary alum Jordan Smith, BComm’12, BSc’20, MSc’23, and his team in the Faculty of Science are developing an AI-resistant and quantum-secure cybersecurity solution to keep customer data safe from being decrypted with their company, Quantized Technologies Inc. (QTI). Quantum News Briefs summarizes August 25 article in PhotonicsOnline.
QTI’s technology encrypts data using quantum photons (particles of light) that rely on physics rather than math to mitigate data threats. This hardware/software combination distributes encryption keys to legitimate users so that even other parts of the system itself cannot read the key (zeros and ones), making it impossible for intruders that attempt to hack the central system to access the key and decrypt data.
Furthermore, QTI’s hardware is more cost effective than existing quantum key distribution approaches to encryption because several users can be connected to a single photon detection device, rather than each user needing their own. Currently, cost has inhibited the widespread use of quantum key distribution, but needing fewer photon detection devices will make it more accessible to the wider public and keep our data safe.
Smith and QTI are one of four UCalgary startups to receive the Innovation Catalyst Grant (ICG), funded by the Government of Alberta and managed through Innovate Calgary. ICG is an entrepreneurial fellowship that supports recent master’s and PhD graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
QTI is expected to continue growing in the next few months. They are currently preparing to open a seed round of investment, and they are looking for non-dilutive funding opportunities, strategic funding and technology partners, early adaptors of their technology, and also employees  to join their team. Click here to read the PhotonicsOnline article in-entirety.

Sandra K. Helsel, Ph.D. has been researching and reporting on frontier technologies since 1990.  She has her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.