eCAUSIS

Project Description and goals

Our rapidly evolving digital world needs a transformation of cryptography towards quantum-safe solutions. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is the only known key exchange mechanism not subject to the “store now decrypt later” attack. It thus guarantees the unprecedented long-term security required in many applications. The current QKD technology is mature, can be integrated and combined with existing infrastructure, and has meaningful use cases. However, existing products are still too expensive, require too much integration effort, and are not certified. Europe lacks high-TRL QKD technology, established supply chains, and the manufacturing capabilities and capacities. eCAUSIS will develop and build an advanced and mature QKD module and a cryptographic key management software along the following lines:

1. Certification and standardisation: implementing BB84, the QKD protocol closest to standardisation; design and architecture compliant with the QKD certification framework currently developed at ETSI.
2. Costs: reduction of costs and footprint of the optics; high automation of production processes to reduce costs for higher volumes.
3. Ease of integration and use: (i) increasing the value of the technology by making existing software platform-agnostic and scalable to serve thousands of links and users in an efficient way; (ii) carefree integration of the QKD solution in fibre networks through increased multiplexing capabilities.
4. Industrialisation and exploitation: quality and scalable manufacturing as core elements of a successful go-to-market; prototypes industrialised by an experienced and ISO- and ESA-certified manufacturing partner.
5. Europeanness: optics from European suppliers and manufacturers; the supply chain and the manufacturing capacities established in the EU. eCAUSIS is a direct opportunity for the EU to exploit and build on 20 years of QKD experience for a resilient and sovereign Europe.