Principal contributors and technical leads from Sweden, Estonia, and Finland gathered for a workshop at the CSC supercomputing site in Kajaani, Finland to plan and develop strategic technical implementations for successful quantum key distribution across national borders. The satellite segment and optical ground station plans in Sweden were one of the hot topics of discussion. Examining the current state and future plans of quantum communications infrastructure in the participating countries laid the basis for preparing for future efforts enhancing the cross-national collaboration.
“The open dialogue, bringing up both initial set-backs and recipes for solutions for successful implementations of QKD at national levels was invigorating — only by actively sharing ideas and experiences can a European-wide QKD network emerge”, contemplates Mikael Johansson, Manager for Quantum Technologies at CSC.
The participants also visited the EuroHPC JU’s LUMI supercomputer, which provides services for users across Europe. Impressive applications ranging from artificial intelligence to solar simulations were show-cased.