The Engineering of Software-Defined Quantum Key Distribution Networks

Abstract

Quantum computers will change the cryptographic panorama. A technology once believed to lie far away in the future is increasingly closer to real-world applications. Quantum computers will break the algorithms used in our public key infrastructure and in our key exchange protocols, forcing a complete retooling of cryptography as we know it. Quantum key distribution is a physical layer technology immune to quantum or classical computational threats. However, it requires a physical substrate, and optical fiber has been the usual choice. Most of the time, it is used just as a point-to-point link for the exclusive transport of delicate quantum signals. Its integration in a realworld shared network has not been attempted so far. Here we show how the new programmable software network architectures, together with specially designed quantum systems, can be used to produce a network that integrates classical and quantum communications, including management, in a single, production-level infrastructure. The network can also incorporate new quantum- safe algorithms and use the existing security protocols, thus bridging the gap between today's network security and the quantum-safe network of the future. This can be done in an evolutionary way, without zero-day migrations and the corresponding upfront costs. We also present how the technologies have been deployed in practice using a production network.