J.P. Morgan, Toshiba and US telecoms firm Ciena have demonstrated the full viability of a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network for metropolitan areas, resistant to quantum computing attacks and capable of supporting 800 Gbps data rates for mission-critical applications under real-world environmental conditions.
At this time, QKD is the only solution that has been mathematically proven to defend against a potential quantum computing-based attack, with security guarantees based on the laws of quantum physics.
The research team demonstrated the ability of the newly developed QKD network to instantly detect and defend against eavesdroppers. It also studied the impact of realistic environmental factors on the quality of the quantum channel and used a QKD-secured optical channel to deploy and secure Liink by J.P. Morgan, the world’s first bank-led, production-grade, peer-to-peer blockchain network. This is the first demonstration of QKD securing a mission-critical blockchain application in the industry.
Marco Pistoia, head of the FLARE Research group at J.P. Morgan, said in a statement: “This work comes at an important time as we continue to prepare for the introduction of production-quality quantum computers, which will change the security landscape of technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency in the foreseeable future.”
Steve Alexander, CTO at Ciena, said in a statement: “With more sensitive information being distributed across fiber-optic networks every day, robust encryption is of vital importance. As the quantum computing era approaches, research and development advances will continue to ensure the confidentiality of critical data as it travels over the network.”
“Based on the success of this project we now have a proven and tested method for defending against quantum attacks on blockchain,” said Yasushi Kawakura, vice president and general manager in the Digital Solutions Division at Toshiba America, in a statement.
Suresh Shetty, head of Blockchain Engineering for Onyx by J.P. Morgan, said in a statement: “We are excited to have demonstrated that QKD can effectively secure communications between the various nodes in the Liink network against future quantum attacks.”