Where are the Worldwide Quantum Networking Testbeds?

By Amina Bashir and Doug Finke

One of the key applications of quantum technology is to create a quantum network that can communicate messages and quantum states in a way that gives them more protection and other properties due to the laws of physics. Although this research is still very early, a number of organizations have started to create quantum testbeds to try out these quantum networks in order to continue developing them and advancing the technology. Most of these testbeds are used for Quantum Key Distribution, which one might argue as the simplest application for a quantum network. However, later on there can be a range of new applications including quantum sensor networks, distributed quantum computing, and blind quantum computing that are more complex, and can bring completely new capabilities.

To get a handle on the testing that is going on, we curated a list of all public mentions of quantum network testbed activity going on worldwide to show the scope of the activity and where it is happening. We should say that this research is very dynamic, and our listing is only a snapshot of a moment in time, so there may be some changes after we publish this. We welcome any comments or updates from people involved with these projects.

The table below shows a listing of 44 testbeds that we found along with a link to a description of them available on the internet along with the country they are located in and our best determination of the status. Notably, some of these testbeds may have been created only for temporary use and may have already been retired. Some of them may have been announced and are under construction. In the table below, we have noted both these cases if we are aware of it.

For more details about quantum networking in general, you can obtain a report written by Global Quantum Intelligence titled Quantum Safe Outlook that provides additional technical details on quantum networking as well as the software based Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC), which is another approach to providing encryption that is safe from quantum computer based attacks.

Table of Known Quantum Networking Testbeds

Network Name	Country	Status
Brookhaven National Laboratory Quantum Network Facility & The Long Island Quantum Information Distribution Network (LiQuiDNET) Testbed	US – New York	Development
GothamQ	US – New York	Development
Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) + Toshiba	US – Illinois	Active
The Washington Metropolitan Quantum Network Research Consortium or DC-Qnet	US – Washington DC	Development
EPB Quantum Network	US – Tennessee	Active
Public Quantum Network	US – Illinois	Active
Advanced Quantum Networks for Scientific Discovery (AQNET-SD) project	US – Illinois, California	Announced
Illinois‐Express Quantum Network (IEQNET) & FQNET	US – Illinois	Active
Quantum Networks to Connect Quantum Technology (QuaNeCQT) Project & MARQI Expansion	US – Maryland	Active
DARPA QN	US – Massachusetts	Retired
Distributed Quantum Network by QUANT-NET	US – California	Active
Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN) Networks	US – Illinois	Active
Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat)	Canada, UK	Development
Quebec Quantum Communication Testbed	Canada – Quebec	Announced
Luxembourg Quantum Communication Infrastructure Laboratory (LUQCIA)	Luxembourg	Development
QuTech, Eurofiber and Juniper Networks Netherlands Network	Netherlands	Active
SEcure COmmunication Project – The SECOQC quantum key distribution network	Austria	Active
SwissQuantum quantum key distribution network	Switzerland	Retired
EuroQCI initiative: Inter-European Quantum Network	Italy, Slovenia, Croatia	Active
Quantum Internet Alliance	Europe	Active
OpenQKD Project	Europe	Active
Cambridge quantum network/ Metro Network	UK	Active
Bristol Quantum Network	UK	Active
The UK Quantum Network between Cambridge and Bristol (UKQN)	UK	Active
UKQN Extension (UKQNTel) Between Cambridge and BT labs	UK	Active
Quantum-Secured Network Across London	UK	Active
Twin Field QKD System	UK	Active
Mission 2 of the National Quantum Strategy	UK	Announced
Tokyo QKD Network	Japan	Active
Toshiba	Japan	Active
Singapore’s National Quantum-Safe Network (NQSN)	Singapore	Active
AWS Testbed	Singapore	Active
National Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+)	Singapore	Announced
QuantumCity network in South Africa	South Africa	Active
Interuniversity Quantum Network in Moscow	Russia	Active
Quantum Computing-based Telecom Network Link in New Delhi	India	Active
Zhucheng- Huanshang QKD Link	China	Active
Quantum Network by University of Science and Technology of China	China	Active
Hefei metro network	China	Active
HCW Intercity Link	China	Active
Wuhu Metro Network	China	Active
Post-Quantum Cryptography on SK Telecom	Korea	Announced
Nation-wide QKD Network	Korea	Active
Rockabill Subsea Network	Ireland, UK	Experimental

Amina Bashir is a cybersecurity expert with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. With 8+ years of experience, she has taught at Hunter College, contributed to product and intel teams in leading cybersecurity firms, and is published in prestigious journals like Elsevier’s International Journal of Future Generation Computer Systems and IEEE. Her expertise blends academia and practical industry experience seamlessly.

Doug Finke is Chief Content Officer for Global Quantum Intelligence (GQI) and Managing Editor of the Quantum Computing Report.

March 19, 2024