Cisco unveils quantum network entanglement chip that could shorten the practical application of quantum computing by up to 10 years, and also opens dedicated research lab for building quantum network technology
Cisco is developing quantum network technology that will be the foundation of the quantum internet. Cisco has recently announced a quantum network entanglement chip that could bring quantum computing into practical use years sooner. At the same time, Cisco has also announced the opening of Cisco Quantum Labs, a dedicated laboratory for quantum scientists and engineers to build quantum network technology.
Quantum Networking: How Cisco is Accelerating Practical Quantum Computing - Cisco Blogs
https://blogs.cisco.com/news/quantum-networking-how-cisco-is-accelerating-practical-quantum-computing
Cisco quantum computing: new entanglement chip speeds timeline - Fast Company
https://www.fastcompany.com/91329302/cisco-quantum-computing-new-entanglement-chip-timeline
Cisco shows quantum networking chip - iTnews
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/cisco-shows-quantum-networking-chip-616985
Cisco unveils prototype quantum networking chip | Network World
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3978702/cisco-unveils-prototype-quantum-networking-chip.html
Cisco Pulls Together A Quantum Network Architecture
https://www.nextplatform.com/2025/05/06/cisco-pulls-together-a-quantum-network-architecture/
Existing quantum processors only contain a few hundred qubits, but applications require millions of qubits, yet even the most ambitious quantum computing roadmaps only aim for a few thousand qubits by 2030.
Decades ago, traditional computing faced similar challenges, but was able to overcome them by connecting small nodes together through network infrastructure, which made it possible to build powerful distributed systems within data centers and cloud computing.
Just as traditional monolithic large-scale computer systems have been phased out, the future of quantum computing is not in a single monolithic quantum computer, so Cisco argues that 'scale-out quantum data centers, where processors communicate over a dedicated network, are the realistic and achievable future of quantum computing.'
That's why Cisco has developed the Quantum Network Entanglement Chip. This is an important part of the quantum network concept, and a prototype was developed in collaboration with a research team at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Cisco explains that the Quantum Network Entanglement Chip 'generates entangled photon pairs that enable instant connectivity regardless of distance through
Cisco cited the following four advantages of its quantum network entanglement chip:
- Works with existing infrastructure
It operates at standard telecom wavelengths, making use of existing fiber optic infrastructure.
・Practical deployment
The quantum network entanglement chip functions at room temperature as a small photonic integrated circuit (PIC), making it suitable for deployment in existing scalable systems.
Energy efficiency
Power consumption is less than 1mW.
High performance
With 1 million high-fidelity entangled photon pairs per output channel, it can generate up to 200 million entangled photon pairs per second per chip.
Bijoy Pandey, vice president of Cisco's innovation incubator Outshift, told Reuters that quantum network entanglement chips have 'a lot of use cases,' including for financial institutions to synchronize the timing of transactions and for scientists to discover liability.
Additionally, Cisco announced the opening of Cisco Quantum Labs in Santa Monica, a research lab that will serve as a testbed for quantum networking solutions that bridge theoretical concepts and practical implementations.
The Cisco Quantum Labs approach is also detailed in the following paper, which outlines the architecture needed for a distributed quantum computing system:
[2501.05598] Quantum Data Center Infrastructures: A Scalable Architectural Design Perspective
https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.05598
In addition to quantum network entanglement chips, Cisco Quantum Labs is also researching and developing key components to complete the vision of the quantum network stack, including entanglement distribution protocols, distributed quantum computing compilers, quantum network development kits, and quantum random number generators using quantum vacuum noise.
At the same time, Cisco noted that it aims to ensure that traditional networks remain secure in a post-quantum world by implementing post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards across its portfolio.
Below is an introduction video from Cisco Quantum Labs.
Cisco's quantum leap: Unveiling our research labs - YouTube
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