SK Telecom joins EU Horizon Europe quantum cryptography project

SK Telecom said it was selected to contribute to a European Union quantum cryptography project under the €95.5 billion Horizon Europe research programme.

SK Telecom, a South Korean operator, said it was chosen to help develop a quantum key distribution (QKD), a method for securely sharing encryption keys, system using Quantum Photonic Integrated Circuit-AI. The work is part of the European Union's Horizon Europe science and technology research funding programme, which has a budget of €95.5 billion.

SK Telecom said the project will focus on making QKD equipment smaller, lighter and cheaper. The company said current systems are difficult to deploy because precision optical components must be assembled and aligned as separate pieces of equipment. SK Telecom said photonic integrated circuit semiconductor processing could combine optical elements into a single chip, and that AI could support real-time optical calibration to improve system stability.

The National Centre of Scientific Research Demokritos in Greece will coordinate the project and develop the AI component. The Austrian Institute of Technology will develop the key management system, and German semiconductor start-up Synogate will develop the functional logic. SK Telecom said the project also includes work to compare European and South Korean quantum cryptography standards to identify differences and support harmonisation.