The CQN will look at long-term issues, as quantum computers now emerge into reality
Amazon Web Services has announced the AWS Centre for Quantum Networking (CQN), which will research quantum networks and the quantum internet. The CQN will look at long-term issues as quantum computers emerge into reality, and must be connected to create powerful networks. Quantum networking requires incredibly precise timing and very faint signals consisting of single photons, which will require a whole new class of repeaters and transducers.
The announcement follows AWS’s existing online quantum service Braket, and its Centre for Quantum Computing, launched in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
“While quantum computing continues to be a major area of investment and progress for academic and industry researchers alike, it is only one component of a broader class of quantum technologies. To unlock the full potential of quantum devices, they need to be connected into a quantum network, similar to how today’s devices are connected via the internet. Despite not receiving the same level of attention as quantum computers, quantum networks have fascinating possible applications. One of them is enabling global communications protected by quantum key distribution with privacy and security levels not achievable using conventional encryption techniques. Quantum networks will also provide powerful and secure cloud quantum servers by connecting together and amplifying the capabilities of individual quantum processors,” said AWS Research Scientists Denis Sukachev and Mihir Bhaskar.
Quantum networks essentially distribute “entanglement”, so quantum states useful in one node can be shared in another. This can only be done by precisely sharing single photons of light and timing measurements. This will be done using the same fibre optics as today’s Internet, creating a parallel channel alongside classical Internet communications.
AWS Principal Research Scientist, Antia Lamas-Linares said “The AWS Centre for Quantum Networking will be working directly on quantum hardware relevant to solving the main challenge in the field: how to build a scalable, commercial quantum network.”
Both Sukachev and Bhaskar have joined AWS from Harvard as full-time researchers. The quantum networking centre will be based in the greater Boston area. AWS’ existing Centre for Quantum Computing is based in Pasadena, California.
