SK Telecom declared itself the first private company based in Asia to be picked to contribute to European Union (EU) work to develop next-generation quantum cryptography technology to boost the security of communications.
The South Korean operator was picked to help develop a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using Quantum Photonic Integrated Circuit-AI as part of the EU’s €95.5 billion Horizon Europe science and technology research financing programme.
SKT staff are to work with researchers in Greece, Austria and Germany, focusing on reducing the bulk, weight and cost of QKD equipment.
The theory is access to QKD-based security would be boosted if the equipment is easier to deploy: SKT stated current systems are unwieldy because “precision optical components…must be individually assembled and aligned in the form of discrete equipment”.
SKT believes optical elements can be combined into a single chip using Photonic Integrated Circuit semiconductor process technology, an approach it likened to producing smartphone camera modules.
The operator expects real-time optical calibration to be possible by embedding AI into the system to boost “overall QKD system stability”.
Project coordination is to be handled by the National Centre of Scientific Research Demokritos in Greece, which is also tasked with developing the AI.
The Austrian Institute of Technology is to develop the key management system and German semiconductor start-up Synogate the functional logic.
SKT highlighted a side mission to help harmonise European and South Korean quantum cryptography standards by identifying differences in respective current approaches. The work could ultimately help develop a global approach, it stated.
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