Ireland’s quantum leap – Walton Institute at SETU and Q*Bird deploy Ireland’s first QKD network with expandable architecture!

Waterford’s Walton Institute at South East Technological University (SETU) and IrelandQCI project consortium partners have worked with Q*Bird, the Dutch leader in quantum secure communication, to successfully deploy Ireland’s first multi-node, entanglement-based Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution (MDI-QKD) network.

The deployment forms part of the IrelandQCI project, the country’s national quantum communications initiative and a key contributor to EuroQCI, the EU-wide federated quantum communications infrastructure.

Operating over Ireland’s existing fibre infrastructure, the telecom-grade network transitions quantum security from research environments into live national infrastructure. It safeguards research, education and critical systems while enabling interoperable quantum connectivity across Ireland and Europe.

Importantly, it has been designed from the start with an expandable architecture in mind, so that any additional Q*Bird QKD Node can connect to the network with a single fiber link and then gain full quantum connectivity around the network.

A major milestone for Ireland’s national quantum infrastructure

‘’This multi-node deployment represents a major milestone for Ireland’s national quantum infrastructure,” said Dr. Deirdre Kilbane, Director of Research at Walton Institute at SETU and Coordinator of the €10 M IrelandQCI project which is co-funded by the European Commission and the Irish Government’s Department of Communications, Culture and Sport. “By integrating Q*Bird’s operational MDI-QKD Falqon® Series across research institutions, data centers and national networks, we are enabling secure, interoperable quantum communication while also creating a platform for other research institutions to join. It strengthens Ireland’s sovereignty over critical communications and contributes directly to EuroQCI and Europe’s federated quantum network vision.”

The hub-and-spoke architectural network comprises of four End Nodes, one Center Hub and one Quantum Optical Switch for a scalable metropolitan deployment and uses ESB Telecoms dark fibre for the quantum communication channel. The End Nodes are located in two Dublin data centres, Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin, while the Center Hub is hosted at Asiera (formerly HEAnet), Ireland’s National Education and Research Network. The collaborative expertise of Walton Institute at SETU, Asiera and Q*Bird were responsible for the successful deployment of the highly secure connection between the strategic Dublin city locations. The Q*Bird Quantum-Optimized Optical Switch enables dynamic, secure routing of qubits around the network, ensuring full multi-node connectivity of QKD keys, without relying on trusted intermediaries.

IrelandQCI Nodes

Industry-grade security for research, education and critical infrastructure

At the core of the network is Q*Bird’s Falqon® Series, enabling entanglement-based quantum key distribution over operational fiber networks. Detector-side exploits have been identified by security authorities, including Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), as the most critical attack vector in earlier QKD implementations. Q*Bird’s devices completely remove the requirement to trust any measurement devices, thus establishing an architecture with a security model resilient against both present day cyber threats and future quantum-enabled attacks.

This ensures long-term cryptographic protection for sensitive research data, governmental communications and critical infrastructure systems, while addressing harvest-now-decrypt-later (HNDL) risk scenarios.

Interoperability by design, resilience by architecture

The network’s hub-and-spoke architecture of Q*Bird devices, along with the Quantum Optical Switch, enables precise synchronisation, dynamic routing and multi-node quantum key distribution. Designed for interoperability and compatibility with existing fibre infrastructure, it provides an open foundation for future integration with emerging quantum technologies such as quantum processors, sensors and modems.

“With this deployment, we continue demonstrating that secure, multi-node quantum networks are not theoretical constructs but operational systems ready for national infrastructure,” shares Dr. Joshua Slater, CTO of Q*Bird. “By combining field-proven hardware with MDI-QKD protocols, we deliver infrastructure resilient against both contemporary cyber threats and future quantum attacks. With this deployment, we are fully prepared for expansion and collaboration with additional research and educational institutions.”

Towards a federated European quantum network

Dr. Ingrid Romijn, CEO and Co-Founder of Q*Bird, added, “National security cannot depend on laboratory-grade assumptions. Quantum security must operate within live infrastructure, under real-world conditions. Ireland’s deployment not only reinforces Ireland’s position as a European hub for quantum secure connectivity, but also shows that scalable, sovereign and interoperable quantum networks can be implemented today over existing fibre and integrated directly into national communications infrastructure.”

“As quantum computing advances, defensive architectures must evolve accordingly. By eliminating detector vulnerabilities and enabling interoperable, cross-border quantum key distribution, we are building infrastructure that protects current communication networks and the integrity of future digital infrastructure.”

Q*Bird’s Falqon® Series has been purpose-built for operational, interoperable and sovereign quantum communications, supporting metropolitan, national and cross-border deployments. By securing Ireland’s research and education backbone and critical digital assets, this deployment positions Ireland as a key operational node within EuroQCI. 

Designed, engineered and field-proven, the Q*Bird quantum network demonstrates how entanglement-based MDI-QKD can form the backbone of Europe’s future quantum secure infrastructure that is scalable, vendor-interoperable and resilient against the full spectrum of present and future threats.

With this milestone deployment, Q*Bird and Walton Institute at SETU, reinforce Ireland’s leadership in quantum secure communication and accelerate the transition from quantum research to quantum resilient infrastructure. The network delivers a future-ready and scalable foundation for expanding Ireland’s quantum connectivity, enabling new research, education and critical infrastructure partners to join the secure, interoperable ecosystem!

QBird MDI-QKD Falqon® Series built for scalable, expandable quantum secure networks.

About IrelandQCI:

IrelandQCI (Ireland Quantum Communication Infrastructure) is a national project developing a quantum-secure communications network for Ireland. The €10 million initiative led by Walton Institute at SETU on behalf of CONNECT Research Ireland Centre, is funded under the EU DIGITAL Europe Programme, co-funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. It forms part of the wider EuroQCI initiative to build a secure quantum communications infrastructure across Europe.

IrelandQCI is made up of a consortium of academic and industry partners, including six national universities, and industry partners ESB Telecoms and Asiera. IrelandQCI is developing a quantum key distribution (QKD) infrastructure along a major backbone network connecting Dublin to Cork via Waterford. This will integrate cutting-edge quantum technologies with existing classical fibre systems to future-proof Ireland’s communications networks against cyber threats.

Find out more http://www.irelandqci.ie/

About Q*Bird:

Q*Bird is a leader in quantum secure communication, based in Delft, The Netherlands. We provide cutting-edge solutions and expert support to ensure your data security.

Our unique technology enables ultra-secure communication networks for critical infrastructure and commercial use.

Q*Bird’s network technology uses the laws of quantum physics to provide proven secure cryptography keys that are immune to interception, ensuring your data remains safe from eavesdropping. Our Falqon® Series delivers a next-generation solution for Measurement Device Independent Quantum Key Distribution (MDI-QKD), offering unequalled security, scalability and flexibility without relying on trusted nodes, ensuring your data stays protected in transit, now and into the quantum future.

As we secure today’s networks against quantum threats, we are building toward the future, developing technologies that will enable the quantum internet, including connectivity solutions for quantum processors, modems and sensors. This ensures organisations are prepared for the advent of the quantum internet and ready to harness its full potential.

Find out more www.q-bird.com