Aliro has announced the first live deployment of its Quantum-Powered Security™ solution, an entanglement-based quantum network designed to protect data, voice, and video communications from both classical and quantum threats. Leveraging the BBM92 quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol and real-time, nanosecond-precision key generation, the deployment marks a significant step toward physics-based security for enterprise and government networks. The system removes reliance on public key exchange by generating encryption keys locally at each endpoint, preventing interception and exposure to future quantum-powered decryption.
This initial deployment consists of four nodes that are spaced 1 km or less from each other using hardware from Thorlabs, Quantum Opus, Aurea technologies, DiCon, and AMD. It is built using AliroNet®, a full-stack quantum network software platform incorporating AlirOS® (a real-time operating system), the Aliro Orchestrator for service lifecycle management, and simulation environments for network modeling. Aliro’s entanglement-based approach integrates seamlessly with existing network infrastructure via standards such as Cisco’s Secure Key Import Protocol (SKIP), enabling organizations to harden MACsec, IPsec, and TLS links across VPNs, firewalls, and routers. The solution also supports real-time quantum network health monitoring using metrics like key rate, qubit error rate (QBER), and key buffer status.
Aliro’s entanglement-based networking operates independently of quantum processors, utilizing off-the-shelf photonic components and detectors. Its software stack allows users to simulate real-world deployments and assess tradeoffs such as distance, key rate, and error rates using the Aliro Simulator and Digital Twin environment. Protocols such as BBM92 and E91 are supported, and performance modeling includes detailed parameters like fiber attenuation, laser bandwidth, and detector jitter—essential for organizations planning secure regional or global quantum network rollouts. Their software works with most every quantum networking hardware component that is currently available.
The blog post accompanying the announcement outlines Aliro’s deployment strategy and long-term vision, emphasizing migration pathways for sectors vulnerable to Harvest Now Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks. Initial adopters include government agencies, telcos, financial institutions, and energy providers—all sectors with long data lifespans and high security stakes. Aliro advocates for a layered defense that combines Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) with entanglement-based QSC, offering future-proof solutions backed by foundational physics principles such as no-cloning, irreversibility, and Heisenberg uncertainty.
Backed by strategic investors including Cisco and Accenture, and led by a team combining quantum physicists and classical network engineers, Aliro is positioned to lead enterprise adoption of scalable quantum-secure networks. With successful live deployments and demonstrations scheduled at RSAC 2025, Aliro aims to provide organizations with deployable, standards-integrated QSC infrastructure today—long before universal quantum computers emerge.
For more details, read the press release here and accompanying technical blog post here.
April 23, 2025
