• Cisco is building a scalable quantum data centres model.
• Cisco’s QFabric secures quantum networks with advanced cryptography.

Cisco researchers are pushing the boundaries of quantum technology, focusing on practical quantum networks and data centres. At Cisco’s Quantum Summit 2024, industry experts and researchers gathered to discuss the latest advancements, covering everything from quantum networking to security. But one topic that really stole the spotlight was Cisco’s vision for the quantum data centre.

As reported by Network World, Cisco envisions a quantum data centre capable of handling numerous quantum circuits, with dynamic network interconnections and multiple protocols for generating entanglement. Reza Nejabati, who leads quantum research at Cisco’s advanced development team, Outshift, spoke at the event about the ambitious concept. According to Nejabati, quantum computing won’t become useful by just trying to scale it monolithically to millions of qubits. “It’s just not practical,” he explained.

Instead, Nejabati suggested, it’s more feasible—at least with today’s technology—to build a network of smaller quantum computers. The network would operate in a centralised environment, essentially creating a quantum data centre. “The idea is to connect a large number of smaller processors in a controlled environment, the data centre, and offer them as a service to a wide user base. That’s what we mean by a quantum data centre,” Nejabati explained.

The company’s vision could allow companies to harness the power of quantum computing as a service, similar to how cloud computing works today, but on a whole new level.

Earlier this year, Cisco hinted at the idea, saying it sees potential for quantum data centres that link quantum computers through classic LAN models and fibre connections. This setup could transmit quantum bits, or qubits, between quantum servers at high speeds, opening the door for commercial-grade applications.

“Our goal is to create a network that also connects quantum sensors,” Nejabati said, “so we can integrate IoT and other sensing devices. This approach not only improves sensing accuracy but also supports distributed sensing across a larger area.”

The key here, Nejabati said, is that customers wouldn’t need to install entirely new infrastructure. Instead, they could use existing fibre networks, at least for quantum entanglement, and add layers of control and management on top.

For networking, Cisco is developing a unique quantum entanglement network fabric called QFabric. QFabric would serve as the core of a quantum switch, ensuring reliable quantum entanglement between quantum computers and sensors. “This switch will allow non-blocking switching of entangled photons from any input port to any output port,” Nejabati said.

The switch will support various entanglement modes and will feature ultra-low loss and minimal time jitter, to ensure connections are fast, reliable, and secure. Ultimately, Cisco aims to support a large number of users in a scalable, multi-tenant quantum network environment with dynamically switched quantum networks.

Security is also a top priority for Cisco as it builds its quantum network infrastructure. Quantum networks present unique security issues, and Cisco’s QFabric is designed to support scalable quantum key distribution (QKD), a technique for sharing cryptographic keys. “We’re building a hybrid key management system that combines post-quantum cryptography (PQC) with QKD,” Nejabati said. The goal is to bring together the best of both worlds: PQC, which uses complex algorithms to defend against quantum attacks, and QKD, which leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to share keys securely.

Cisco has developed its own quantum random number generator, critical for generating cryptographic keys. “A perfect random number generator is essential for cryptography,” Nejabati said, “and we’ve developed our own in-house solution.” The technology could be especially valuable as PQC starts to become standard in web browsers, operating systems, and enterprise security tools. Cisco expects PQC to soon be integrated into protocols like SSL/TLS 1.3, which commonly protect moving data on the internet.

The need for advanced security is pressing. There’s growing concern that bad actors are already laying the groundwork to exploit future quantum vulnerabilities. They may be preparing to use quantum technology to crack today’s encryption, one of the reasons why Cisco is investing heavily in building a secure quantum network infrastructure.

In addition to hardware, Cisco is also developing software tools to manage quantum networks. One of the most exciting projects is Quantum Orchestra, a software package designed to handle everything from entanglement protocols to routing algorithms. “The orchestrator we’re building is network-aware,” explained Hassan Shapourian, a technical leader at Cisco Outshift. “It takes in quantum jobs, the network topology, and the locations of various quantum devices across the network.” The orchestrator will assign tasks to different quantum devices intelligently, based on their availability and proximity.

Once tasks are assigned, Quantum Orchestra handles the configuration needed to establish entanglement connections, enabling end-to-end connectivity across the quantum network. “It’s not just about routing,” Shapourian said. “Resource management is crucial. We’re sharing resources and aiming to minimise execution time, so we’re focusing on the most efficient ways to route data and manage resources.” So far, much of the work with Quantum Orchestra has been in simulation, allowing Cisco to test features like multi-tenancy and multi-path data transmission across quantum networks.

The company expects to release a research paper later this year with results from its simulations, to share insights into Quantum Orchestra’s effectiveness in a simulations. Cisco’s efforts to develop both the physical and software infrastructure for quantum networks are getting us closer to a future in which quantum technology will be as accessible as the cloud, transforming industries that rely on fast, secure, and scalable computing.

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