IDQ QKD Systems Review
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IDQ is one of the top players in the quantum technology market. ID Quantique has introduced its latest Quantum Key Distribution systems which are reviewed in this article.
The keys generated by QRNG can be safely distributed to various locations using a mechanism called quantum key distribution (QKD). The technique enables companies to achieve long-term confidentiality and integrity while maximising trust by providing confirmed secrecy of encryption keys.
To exchange cryptographic keys over fibre optic networks with provable security, QKD uses the fundamental law of quantum physics that observation causes perturbation. An eavesdropper intercepting keys transmitted on the QKD quantum channel will necessarily translate into a perturbation that can be detected by the sender and recipient.
Using QKD now will secure high-value data in a post-quantum computing environment, ensuring that data with a long shelf life is safeguarded against future attacks, and provide instant security to data in the face of today’s brute force attacks.
ID Quantique has launched five Quantum Key Distribution products for designed for enterprise, government, and telecom industry to provide their best solutions for ultimate quantum-safe security. These devices are although futuristice, they are easily integrable with existing encryption solutions.
XG Series
The XG Series satisfies all requirements for a simple installation in any telco infrastructure and data centre. Its small 19″ rackmount 1U dimension provides the highest level of QKD technology integration currently offered on the market. High availability operation is made possible by hot-swappable batteries, cooling fans, and power supplies.
The XG Series is integrated into the IDQ QKD management and monitoring system and has been created from the ground up to require little onsite site support.
It can interface and communicate with the majority of the main encryptor vendors, whose encryption appliances (OSI Layer 1/2/3 and MPLS) have a QKD-ready interface. A common optical fibre is used for quantum communication, making integration simple and lowering total cost of ownership. With regard to the ITU’s guideline for dense wavelength division multiplexing, all optical channels are compatible (DWDM).
The Extensive Network and Key Management software suite from IDQ, which serves as the management and monitoring foundation for QKD, is compatible with the XG Series. To enable all significant QKD deployments, this framework combines IDQ’s Quantum Management System (QNET QMS) with existing Software-Defined Network (SDN) QKD ETSI standards. It guarantees a smooth integration with current infrastructure.
The most advanced QKD Network Management
Even in the most complicated situations, the QMS gives you an unmatched ability to maintain a thorough awareness of your QKD network functioning. The programme provides a monitoring dashboard to help you make sure the network is still functioning properly as well as an understandable logical or geographical topology network view to facilitate configuration modifications.
Additionally, IDQ’s QKD Simulator offers you the singular capacity to emulate the most complex QKD networks. This makes sure that installations and maintenance processes run well, saving your network operations team time.
Cerberis XG
The Cerberis XG is IDQ’s 4th generation of QKD systems. Its standard key transmission rate and medium range interconnection is well-suited to link core nodes to edge nodes (end-user nodes), especially in enterprise, government, and telco production environments. It is cabale of working in complex network topologies including ring, hub and spoke, meshed and star.
This QKD system is suitable for standard key transmission rates of 2 kb/s and short and medium range interconnections up to 90 km. This is integrable in standard 19′ 1U rackspace.
| Max length of quantum channel | 60 km, 80 km, 90km (12dB, 16dB, 18dB) |
| Secret key rate | 2kb/s (@ 12dB) |
| Protocol | COW |
| Key Generation Source | IDQ QRNG Chip |
| Quantum Channel | 1 dedicated fiber |
| Service Channel | 1 Tx/Rx DWDM channel |
| Optical engine | Intrinsically polarization Independent |
| Key Processing | High speed hardware based |
| Key security parameter | 4x 10^-9 |
| Pulse repetition rate | 1.25 GHz |
Clavis XG QKD System
Quantum Key Distribution for production environments requiring high key transmission rate or extended range interconnection. The Clavis XG is the latest addition to IDQ’s 4th generation of QKD products and expands the XG Series with higher key throughput and extended distance range.
This QKD system is suitable for high key transmission rates of 100 kb/s and long range interconnections up to 150 km. This is integrable in standard 19′ 1U rackspace.
| Max length of quantum channel | 120 km, 150 km (24dB, 30dB) |
| Secret key rate | 100 kb/s (@ 10dB) |
| Protocol | BB84 with decoy state |
| Key Generation Source | IDQ QRNG Chip |
| Quantum Channel | 1 dedicated fiber |
| Service Channel | 1 Tx/Rx DWDM channel |
| Optical engine | Intrinsically polarization Independent |
| Key Processing | High speed hardware based |
| Key security parameter | 4x 10^-9 |
| Pulse repetition rate | 1 GHz |
XGR Series – QKD Platform
ID Quantique created the XGR Series Quantum Key Distribution Platform as a flexible research tool for academia and technology evaluation labs. Because of this, the user can test out various parameter setups and settings in both automated and manual modes.
Secure key exchange is achievable via fibres with a maximum loss of 12 dB to 18 dB (often up to 90 kilometres) or 24 dB (typically up to 150 kilometres) for a Cerberis XGR pair and over a single core using WDM. The optical platform has been thoroughly examined and characterised in scholarly literature.
The Key Management System (KMS), which controls key requests and key transfers between QKD optical systems and external encryptors, is also a feature of the XGR Series. Key distribution to encryptors or any other key consumer is carried out through the secure QKD ETSI REST API or through private interfaces created in collaboration with significant suppliers.
Complete key distillation and automated hardware operation are implemented via a full software suite. Before the QKD post processing is utilised, the filtered Keys can be streamed out via the XGR Series’ IDQ4P protocol, a proprietary communication protocol used for key transmission and administration (esp. the error correction). On Bob’s side, the keys correlate to the detection values, and on Alice’s side, they do the same for the Qbits that were sent for that particular detections. The user can evaluate the QBER of the system by comparing the two streams using the filtered Keys.
The XGR Series is ID Quantique’s 4th generation of QKD and is an extension of the XG Series (for production environments) which aims to meet the needs of academia, research institutes and innovation labs.
The XGR Series’ platform comprises two stations: the transmitter unit, (Cerberis or Clavis) XGR-A (ALICE) and the receiver unit, (Cerberis or Clavis) XGR-B (BOB). The quantum channel, which is utilised for key transmission, connects the XGR-A and XGR-B units. A Service Channel is also utilised for processing and synchronisation between the two units. Both channels are constructed from optical fibre strands and are joined to the devices via SFP transceivers, with the quantum channel also having a single UPC connector. With SFP transceivers that enable bidirectional transmissions, the service channel can also be multiplexed with other data channels and shrunk to a single fibre strand.
The Coherent One-Way (COW) protocol, which IDQ has patented, is used by the Cerberis XGR. A laser inside the XGR-A transmitter produces a CW beam of light. The intensity of the beam is then modified to produce coherent optical pulses with bit patterns that correspond to zeros and ones. After then, the pulses are attenuated to single photon levels. These pulses are sent via the quantum channel from the transmitter, XGR-A, to the receiver, XGR-B, where they are picked up and detected. Some of the pulses in the receiver go through the monitoring interferometer and arrive at the detector X-basis, where they produce the key. Other pulses travel to the detector Z-axis, where they produce the key. The X-basis are used to monitor eavesdropping. The major differences with the BB84 scheme are that the COW protocol does not use an interferometer on Alice’s side, does not apply phase modulation and requires only one detector for the X-basis.
The BB84 optical system is used by Clavis XGR. The XGR-A transmitter has a pulsed laser within. The beam is then subjected to intensity and phase modulation, resulting in optical pulses that have bit patterns that correspond to zeros and ones. After then, the pulses are attenuated to single photon levels. These pulses are sent via the quantum channel from the transmitter, XGR-A, to the receiver, XGR-B, where they are picked up and detected. For intensity modulation and phase modulation, bits 0 and 1 are respectively on the detector Z-basis and X-basis. Both sets of bases are used to gather information for eavesdropping monitoring.
