Thales Joins OpenQKD to Accelerate Quantum Computing in Aerospace Technology
OpenQKD Fuels European Quantum Computing Research, Potential in Aerospace
Excerpts and salient points ~
+ Launched in September, OpenQKD consists of 38 different companies and research organizations with the goal of establishing a quantum communication infrastructure in several European countries. While hosting a tour of the quantum physics and computing research labs at the University of Paris-Saclay, Thales Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Marko Erman discussed what needs to happen for aerospace and other technological sectors to reap the potential benefits of quantum computing in the future.
“Quantum sensors have the potential to impact aerospace, defense and security and a host of other segments,” Erman said. “Why? All of these segments need actually to understand the world that is around them. Either positioning, timing, imagery, radio frequencies, you name it. What is unique with the quantum sensor is that they actually improve the performances, sometimes the time or bandwidth of a sensor application for example, not by 50 percent or a factor of 2, they improve it by orders of magnitude, like 100, or 1,000 or 10,000 times.”
+ [T]he ultimate goal of the project is to establish networking infrastructure and a new type of Internet for quantum computers, the research Thales is already involved in holds the potential for the use of quantum computing in aerospace.
+ Moving forward, Thales will look to lead development of the space segment for the quantum communication network that Europe is seeking to establish as part of the OpenQKD project. Erman believes in order for quantum computing to move from research lab concepts to industrial reality, more investment and recruiting of experts in the field will be required.
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