South Korea plans to establish a Quantum Strategy Committee by the first quarter of this year to drive its national quantum technology development, according to Vice Minister Lee Chang-yoon.The committee, created under the “Act on the Promotion of Quantum Science and Technology and Quantum Industry,” will involve government ministries, academia and industry to shape strategies for advancing quantum innovation.Despite delays due to political challenges, preparations for the committee’s launch are complete, with experts predicting 2025 will be a transformative year for South Korea’s quantum technology sector.

Eurofiber has partnered with Quantum Bridge and Juniper Networks to deliver quantum-safe communication solutions using distributed symmetric key establishment (DSKE) technology, securing data transfers against quantum cyber threats.DSKE automates symmetric key creation and distribution, combining the scalability of public key infrastructure, the security of quantum key distribution (QKD), and the simplicity of pre-shared keys to resist quantum attacks.At a central bank demonstration in Rome, the partnership showcased DSKE’s seamless integration with Juniper Networks’ SRX firewalls to protect financial systems.

Retelit, Telebit, and ThinkQuantum successfully tested Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) over a single optical fiber, demonstrating its ability to secure data transmission without requiring additional dedicated channels.The trial combined Retelit’s fiber-optic infrastructure, ThinkQuantum’s quantum devices developed with the University of Padua, and Telebit’s system integration expertise, proving QKD’s scalability, cost-effectiveness, and interference-free performance.QKD ensures unbreakable encryption by detecting any interception attempts, making it a viable solution for sectors handling sensitive data, such as finance, healthcare, energy, and government.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced six new pilot projects under the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL), providing $1 million each over 12 months to advance quantum technologies and expand access to specialized tools and testbeds.

Seit vergangenem Donnerstag gibt es eine über 900 Kilometer lange Teststrecke für quantenverschlüsselte Datenkommunikation zwischen Berlin und Bonn. Innovationspartner aus Telekommunikation, Cybersicherheit und angewandter Forschung haben im Förderprojekt DemoQuanDT zusammengearbeitet. Der erfolgreiche Erstbetrieb ist nicht nur ein wichtiger Meilenstein für das vom Bundesforschungsministerium (BMBF) geförderte Projekt, die Teststrecke steht gleichfalls beispielhaft für die partnerschaftliche Zusammenarbeit von Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft bei der Erforschung der Quantenkommunikation.

In a groundbreaking experiment, researchers have successfully demonstrated the use of drones to distribute quantum keys, paving the way for secure wireless communication between mobile nodes. Led by Xiao-Hui Tian and Ran Yang, the team developed compact systems for acquiring, pointing, and tracking, as well as quantum key distribution modules, which were loaded onto a homemade octocopter weighing 30 kilograms. Over a distance of 200 meters, they achieved an average secret key rate of 8.48 kilohertz using a polarization-coded decoy-state BB84 protocol.

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, so do the security risks associated with Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) networks. These networks, which enable long-range communication with minimal energy requirements, are vulnerable to physical tampering and cyberattacks. To mitigate these risks, hardware security modules (HSMs) play a critical role in securing LPWA IoT networks by securely generating, storing, and managing cryptographic keys.

Last summer, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued the first Post Quantum Cryptography standards. Earlier this week NIST issued a draft report (Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards ) to guide transition efforts. It’s intended as the guide for government agencies and also sets broad goals for others (commercial and private) making the transition.

Australia is doubling down on its commitment to quantum technology, aiming to transform the sector into a $6 billion industry that could employ nearly 20,000 Australians by 2045, according to the latest State of Australian Quantum report.

Quantum technologies could generate up to £8 billion in economic value for the UK transport sector by 2035, according to a report from the Department for Transport (DfT).