The Irish Government and European Union have announced a €10m investment in a new network designed to protect the transmission of sensitive data and prevent cyberattacks.
The Quantum Communications Infrastructure (QCI) network is a first for Ireland and will be deployed over the next two years by the IrelandQCI.
The pilot network forms part of a European initiative which aims to build a secure Quantum Communication Infrastructure across the whole EU.
The main function of this new QCI network will be to enable an ultra-secure form of encryption so that data can be transmitted safely without the risk of being hacked.
The Government here is committing €5m to the initiative, matching €5m in EU funding secured by IrelandQCI.
IrelandQCI consists of experts from six different universities.
It is led by Waterford's Walton Institute in South East Technological University and includes specialists from Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork's Tyndall National Institute, with support from University College Dublin and Maynooth University, the Irish Centre for High-End Computing at the University of Galway, as well as HEAnet and ESB Telecoms.
Welcoming the development today in Trinity College Dublin, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with responsibility for Communications, Ossian Smyth noted that Ireland already has strong expertise in the area of quantum computing.
"I'm delighted that our experts have pooled together so effectively to kick start Ireland's quantum ecosystem," Mr Smyth said.
"Quantum technology is much closer than people might think; it will soon arm us with the capabilities we need to solve the most complex problems, most of which are impossible to solve with existing technologies," he added.
