Germany advances quantum communication infrastructure

Germany is advancing its quantum communication infrastructure through two major initiatives: QuKomIn and QuNET.

In Erlangen, the QuKomIn project has opened an application laboratory designed to provide a real-world testing environment for eavesdrop-proof data transmission. This infrastructure includes a hybrid fiber-optic network with satellite connectivity, featuring labs in Erlangen and Oberpfaffenhofen. Supported by approximately 15 million euros from the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Development and Energy, the lab allows companies and researchers to test and optimize quantum-secured communication prototypes under realistic conditions.

Simultaneously, the QuNET initiative, funded by 125 million euros from the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space, is reaching a milestone. After seven years of interdisciplinary research involving the Fraunhofer and Max Planck Societies, the German Aerospace Center, and FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, the project will demonstrate a cross-state quantum communication network. This demonstration will link local networks from Bavaria, Thuringia, and Berlin into a single unified system.